Level 1: Worlds
by arpulver
Summary: After losing all hope in the real world, Takato Matsuki left for the Digital World. But after meeting six of the Odaiba digidestined, he discovers that his world may not be what he thought it was. But where does he truly belong?
1. Ending

**_Level 1: Worlds_****_  
_**_  
In 2003, the darkness was contained when Malomyotismon was defeated.  
In 2003, the real world was fully exposed to the Digital World.  
In 2003, the world's population attained the status of "digi-destined."  
In 2003, each person on Earth became partners with a Digimon.  
  
_

**Stage One- Ending  
  
**Takato Matsuki was not meant for this world. That much was clear. After all he had been through, there was nothing left to convince him that he, who had lost everything else, could find happiness again. There was no place left for him. There was no one left for him. After everything was taken away, all that remained was an empty void, and a fifteen-year-old soul to call it the future.   
  
He didn't want that as his future. Takato would be better off without one at all. He knew the danger he'd be facing. He had heard the warnings and demands of the higher authority. He knew very well that he wouldn't come back. He also knew that he may not even arrive in the first place. He understood that he may not even be happier when he arrived.  
  
It was still worth the risk. Anything was better than where he was at now. He'd prefer the face of death that he was staring into over the remnants of life he currently possessed.   
  


_----January, 20X5----_  
All he could see was smoke. An haze of black, all but absorbing the orange blaze from the fire below. He had heard the instructions. He knew how to stay low. He knew how to feel the door. It was safe, so he opened it. Takato, along with the masses of smoke, forced himself onto the terrace.   
  
It was only a slight improvement, but it was an improvement nonetheless. He was at least able to breathe again, although the thick smoke still made it difficult. He looked down below. The streets, usually quiet at this hour, were bustling with the sound of ambulances blaring their sirens, the sight of concerned neighbors watching and praying in their pajamas, and the mist of water  trying to extinguish the flame. A ladder was forced onto the side of the building. Immediately, a firefighter was climbing it, scaling the tower to rescue a child in distress. The brave soul helped Takato down the ladder, to the waiting arms of more rescue workers. A stretcher to lie down in, a mask to give him air, and a pillow to rest his head on. He desperately needed them, and Takato was not denied. Takato was safe, destined to live another day regardless of what else was lost. Takato's mind didn't stray on what was lost, but he couldn't get the thought of _who_ was lost out of his head. His parents were nowhere to be found.  
  


Before he could find them, he was loaded into an ambulance and carted off towards the hospital. He kept asking, and he kept receiving the same answer- "I don't know." By the time the next afternoon arrived, it was all Takato could think about. He was only in the hospital for that day, but it happened to the longest day in his life. 

"Takato?" Henry peered through the doorway. Rika and Jeri were at his side.

"Come on in." Takato was able to put his fears aside for a moment and smile, inviting his friends in. 

"Where should I put these things?" Rika had flowers, and she was visibly uncomfortable holding them. She set them on a nearby table, most likely reserved for such sentiments.

"Where's Kazu and Kenta?" 

"Cram school. They were going to skip, but we didn't want them failing again." 

"Either way, it's nice to see that you're doing well." Jeri leaned over and kissed Takato on the cheek. He couldn't help but force a smile at the kind gesture.

Henry, noting the smile, decided to start interrogating him about the incident. "So do you have any idea what happened?"

"I don't know. They haven't really finished investigating or anything but their guess is that one of our breadmakers started it. Maybe it wasn't shut off right or something. I don't know."

"Well, as long as you're safe. That's all that matters." Jeri reassured Takato. 

More than his friends, Jeri's presence really made Takato feel a lot better. They had been together ever since the D-Reaper was destroyed, almost four months ago. As far as Takato knew, the months could have been years, or even decades, and he would still be just as happy with Jeri by his side.

A doctor entered the room, interrupting the moment. He coughed, signaling Takato's attention. "Mr. Matsuki?" He seemed somewhat fidgety. He obviously wasn't bearing good news. "Can I speak to you in private for a moment?"

"Um… sure." Takato's affirmation was all his visitors needed to know when to leave.

"We'll wait outside." Rika said quietly. 

Henry simply nodded. He had a premonition that what the doctor was going to say wasn't pleasant. Henry and Jeri immediately looked at each other. They knew what was coming. They had been through it before.  

Once they were in the hall, Takato took a breath, and asked the question. "How are they?"

The doctor also took a deep breath. "We tried. We really did. But by the time we found them… it was too late to save them."

Takato grew wide-eyed. This couldn't be happening. It had to be some dream. "You… you mean…"

The doctor didn't sugar-coat it, but his empathy was easily distinguishable. "Your mother passed away about fifteen minutes ago. Your father followed eight minutes later."

The color drained from Takato's face. "No… it can't be…"

"We've notified your aunt. She'll be coming by later to check on you." The doctor was sympathetic, but Takato gave no indication that he was hearing anything. "Obviously, this is very hard for you to deal with. We offer grief counseling in order to help you through this difficult time…" Takato wasn't responding to anything, just staring blankly at the wall. Tears were beginning to form. Finally, the doctor gave up. "Maybe your friends are better suited for this than I am. Should I send them in?" Takato didn't respond, so the doctor did so anyway, stepping out at the same time.

"Are you okay Takato?" Henry was the first to ask. Jeri was already running up and embracing Takato, crying all the while. Rika was unsuccessfully trying to control a few tears. Henry maintained his composure, but he obviously felt it as well.

"I don't know Henry. I mean… Mom… Dad…" Takato was still at a loss. He held Jeri. He needed Jeri. But at the moment, not even Jeri was enough.

"Look, you're going to get through this eventually." It was Rika's turn to talk. "It just takes a while. And we're all here for you, too. We were all here for Henry and we're going to get you through this too." 

Henry put a hand on Rika's shoulder, as if to accentuate the point. "That's right. No matter what happens, we'll get through it together."  
_--------_

  
Yet here today, they were nowhere in sight. Nobody to pick him up when he was down.  
  
The boat sped through the East China Sea en route to its destination. The view was spectacular. No pesky clouds were obstructing the azure sky, while the sea stretched out endlessly towards the horizon. Takato didn't care. He had seen it all before. Okinawa was a great place to visit, but living there… it wasn't right for him.  
  


_----January, 20X5----  
_Takato's parents were dead, but he was alive and still willing to tame life. But a fourteen-year-old can't make a jump into reality immediately. He still needed to be supported. He still needed a family. His friends were there for him, but he couldn't live with them. He couldn't intrude and make himself a Wong or a Shioda or a Kitagawa. It wasn't right of him to ask a family to take on such a burden, and none of his friends' families were willing to extend a hand. Worse yet, his own family wasn't all that helpful either. His aunt had succeeded in the task of filling out paperwork for the hospital, but that was about all she was willing to do. She didn't have the income to support Takato. In fact, every single one of Takato's relatives in the Tokyo area was unable to support an extra family member at the time- his grandparents were in a nursing home, his uncle's apartment was infinitesimally small and only suitable for one person, while his other aunt was expecting a baby, and couldn't handle getting two extra mouths to feed at the same time (ironically enough, she ended up having twins). After spending a fortnight crashing wherever he could, he finally found somebody that could take him in.   
  
"Hey, Takato, you handling okay?" 

Takato turned towards the source of the voice. "Yeah Kai… just peachy." He returned to his previous position- leaning on the railing of the boat, looking at the Okinawan sunset. It was almost as if somebody was teasing him. The view was stunning. The setting sun reflected against the clouds to create a stunning palette of color. The wind, however, was a different matter entirely; as the gusts frequently slammed into Takato's face while creating waves to guide him on a very unsteady ride towards his new home. The atmosphere created two conflicting moods, and Takato was unsure which one was accurate.  
  
He'd have to give it his all. He'd have to try to adjust to this new life on the distant island. But he felt stranded. He was nine hundred miles away from Tokyo. Nine hundred miles from his friends and everything he had grown to be familiar and comfortable with. Nine hundred miles away from Jeri.   
  
They promised each other they'd make it work somehow. Distance was not a concern for e-mails or telephone service. Communication would not be a problem. It was the little things he'd miss. Seeing her smile everyday, reassuring him that good things were ahead. The smile he sorely needed was out of reach, and the good things seemed even farther away.  
  
"Takato? You don't have anything to worry about, okay? We're going to take care of you here." Kai was trying to give Takato some solace. No matter how much Kai tried, it wasn't his greatest skill. He was too laid-back for serious sympathy, and was in no position to offer a quick-fix to his cousin's trauma. He continued to persist, however, "We already did all the paperwork for school. You're transferred in with no problem, and we get back in a week." 

Takato didn't acknowledge the statement. How was he supposed to concentrate on school with all this going on? Nine hundred miles…

"You know Minami Uehara's also going to the same school now. I'm sure you two will get reacquainted real fast." Takato shook his head. He and Kai met Minami under some… unusual circumstances some time prior. It was somewhat comforting knowing that he would have friends at his new destination. He was sailing towards a new life. That was all he knew. Maybe it was just that- "new" instead of "worse."  
_--------_  
  
"When is the next available flight to Tokyo?" 

Takato knew exactly what he was doing. He had dealt with airports forever. There were flights from Okinawa to Tokyo and vice versa several times over the course of the day. He took them whenever he could afford it. At the very least, he had to visit Jeri once a year. That much was a prerequisite, and it did not matter how much money he or the Urazoe household had to spend- he needed at least that. 

"The next flight is fully booked, but a flight departing at 4:35 this afternoon does have a seat or two available."

"I'll take a one-way ticket." 

The receptionist was somewhat unsure about this fifteen year old buying a one-way ticket, but continued to look up the needed information. "Including processing fees, that will cost thirty-six thousand yen."

Takato silently pulled the money out of his wallet and on the counter. The cost didn't matter this time either. Takato continued to remain silent as he waited for the ticket to be processed. This was going to be his last time doing this. He didn't know what was going to happen when he arrived, but in all likelihood it was going to be better than the last time he had made the trip.  
  
_----November, 20X5----  
_Mr. Katou picked up the telephone. "Hello?"

"Um… hi… is Jeri home?"

Mr. Katou sighed. "Who should I say is calling? If this is Takato, you better not be calling collect again."

"No! No… tell her it's Terry. I go to school with her."

Jeri's father called his daughter over to the phone. She wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of the call was, but was cheerful nonetheless. "Hi Terry!" 

Terry stumbled for a moment. "Hi Jeri, this is Terry. Um… I was wondering if you wanted to… um…" Terry paused, summoned his courage, and continued. "The fall festival is coming up and I was wondering if I could go with you." He took a moment to catch his breath. That wasn't so bad, but the hard part was around the corner.

Jeri frowned. "Well… you mean like a date?"

Terry nodded, until he realized that Jeri couldn't see that. "Um… yeah."

"Well… you see… I already have a boyfriend."

Terry exhaled. It was a good thing he did his homework. "Yeah. I know. Henry told me. But, I mean, he lives in Okinawa. That's nine hundred miles away. Down there, they don't even consider themselves part of Japan. And I mean… well it seems unfair that you don't have a date for the festival." Terry paused. "Sorry. I've never done this before. I'm a little new at this."

Jeri couldn't help but smile. "You should get advice from your father."

Terry sighed. "Actually… my father died when I was little."

Jeri bit her lip. "Oh. I'm sorry. I guess I know how it feels though. I lost my mother when I was little."

The ensuing uncomfortable silence was inevitable as both reflected on their pasts. Finally, Terry broke the silence with a snicker. "Why are we talking about this?" Jeri chuckled quietly. "So how about it? I'm sure it'll be fun."

Jeri paused. He seemed innocent. He was nice, he was friendly. She didn't want to get his hopes up, but it definitely seemed a good chance to make another friend. That… and she definitely didn't want to reject him; it was clearly what he was fearing most. 

"Sure." 

Terry smiled. He was confident he could handle everything from there.

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven!"  
_--------_

  
Takato was almost getting used to it. He had almost grown accustomed to the Okinawa life. It was strange, but in the company of Kai and Minami, he was able to get through it. By the time he made the trip back home in January, he was confident that he was going to be able to get through whatever. 

He remembered his thoughts on the plane at the time. He was both somber and optimistic. His sadness stemmed from the one year anniversary of the deaths of his parents. Fortunately, although he was still adjusting, he was able to visit their grave bearing a sunny forecast. At least he was trying, and at least he still could return to West Shinjuku at any time to find friends… and Jeri.

"This is the captain speaking- we are experiencing slight turbulence. Please keep your seatbelts fastened. This should clear up in a few minutes, so please be patient." 

The pilot's voice over the intercom jolted Takato out of his recollection. 

"They always say the turbulence is temporary." He thought. "And just when you think you're in the clear, something else shows up to make the flight a living hell." 

He knew that from last time. The storm he flew into was unexpected and unforeseen. This time, however, the flight would be different. Unlike his last visit, he was going to be in control.

_----January, 20X6----  
_"Takato!" 

As always, he was dying to see her. As always, she was waiting for him at the airport. And as always, she couldn't keep her arms off him when he exited the plane.

"Hi, Jeri. Man, have I missed you." Takato fell silent as the two enjoyed their embrace for a few more seconds while Jeri's father quietly picked up Takato's carry-on. 

"Takato. I'll go pick up your luggage while you two…" Mr. Katou trailed off. As much as he wanted to, he could find nothing wrong with the relationship between his daughter and Takato. The natural anxiety regarding Jeri growing up and finding love was still present, however, and he sought to distance himself from any personal moments. 

Takato handed his ticket over, while still enjoying the moment. "I'm trying Jeri… I know I can get used to this one of these days… I just…"

"Shh…" Jeri put a finger to Takato's lips. "Not now." Takato obeyed. He had so much he wanted to say, but he too wanted to enjoy the moment. 

"Ahh… winter… I missed you!" Takato was freezing and loving it. The chilly winds would have rendered anyone else uncomfortable, but Takato was enjoying it. "Jeri, you have no idea how freaky it was last February." The tropical climate of Okinawa, even in winter months, was the first thing Takato had to get used to. Although the weather was far from his biggest problem, he was happy to be in a spot where he could freeze his butt off every January like people were supposed to. "Has it snowed yet?"

Jeri wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and smiled. "It snowed last week, but not enough to stay on the ground."

"Shame… I'd kill to make a snow angel right about now." Takato was just trying to enjoy the familiarity of Shinjuku Park. "Look at this place- it hasn't changed a bit."

"Jeri!!" 

Takato looked towards the source of the voice. It was the first unfamiliar thing that presented itself. Takato walked over to Jeri to get a better look at who was calling her- a boy about their age was running towards them. The kid's messy brown hair and smiling face seemed nothing out of the ordinary. It was just unfamiliar… a problem Takato wanted to fix immediately.

"New friend?" Takato asked, curious.

Jeri was not eager to greet the boy. She tried to hide her concern from Takato, mumbling "You might say that." 

As the boy arrived, Jeri forced a smile. "Hi Terry. What brings you here?" 

"I was just heading off to work and saw you there." Terry replied, the friendly smile still on his face.

"Wait… you work?" At least Takato thought the kid was the same age as himself and Jeri.

"Yeah. I help out with a ramen cart. It's a long story. You must be Takato." Terry extended a hand.

Takato received the handshake. "Yeah. Jeri must have told you about me. She didn't say anything to me about you though."

Terry let out a slight chuckle. "Why am I not surprised? Name's Terry." 

Takato smiled. "Nice to meet you. So are you just friends with Jeri or have you met the whole group?"

"Whole group. Henry, Rika, Kazu, Kenta… we're all good. Henry introduced me and we just sort of connected. It's a little strange. Hey, Jer', what's that name Kazu always calls me behind my back?"

Jeri was sheepish, and was obviously anxious about something. Still, she answered the innocent question. "Neo-Ryo?"

"Neo-Ryo! That's it. I don't get it myself, but it's kinda funny."

"Ryo was a Tamer like the rest of us. He took off a couple years ago." Takato provided the explanation. "I think he went back to the Digital World." He added.

"Yeah… I knew it was something like that… I don't know. I'm not into that whole Digimon thing." Terry stopped smiling for a second, and looked down at his watch. "Shoot, I have to get going. Look, I'll talk to you later. See ya." 

Before Takato knew what hit him, Terry was gone. 

"Seems like a nice guy. I hope I can get to know him better." Takato looked back at Jeri. She was still nervous, almost on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?"

Jeri found a nearby bench to sit down at. Takato sat next to her, awaiting her answer. Nothing was coming out, so Takato was forced to lead her on. "Does it have something to do with Terry?" 

Jeri nodded. 

Takato gulped. All signs pointed to one thing. "Something tells me he's more than just a new friend."

Again Jeri nodded, but was able to explain further. "He asked me out a couple months ago. He's a nice kid, I didn't have the heart to say no. And… well… he likes me."

"How do you know?"

Jeri sniffled back a tear. "Because he told me last Christmas."

"Oh." While he was obviously concerned about the matter, Takato was happy in a way- for a year Jeri was the one that always been there to help Takato through his problems. Now, he was finally going to be able to help her through her difficult situation. He took her hand. "Jeri, you know you can't string him along like that. The longer you wait, the more it will hurt him."

"That's not the half of it. He thinks I like him too."

"Why does he think that?"

Jeri couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "Because that's what I told him."

"Jeri… why? I know you don't want to hurt his feelings, but if you don't, he's going to keep thinking that he has a chance. I mean, you don't really like him, do you?" Takato wasn't letting any of this bother him. Terry just happened to have good taste in the girls he liked. This kind of thing was bound to happen, and he was determined to get Jeri through this without losing his cool.

"That's just it Takato… I kinda do." 

All of the color in Takato's face fell at that moment. Their relationship would never be the same.   
_--------  
  
_

It seemed so out of the blue. It seemed like it was something unforeseen. The idea that Jeri could possible fall in love with another boy wasn't completely impossible, but for some reason Takato thought it was. He was too optimistic. He had Jeri, Jeri had him, and all was right with the world. 

Unfortunately, the world didn't work like that. Despite the situation, and despite their history, there was nothing preventing anybody from stealing Jeri away.

Perhaps it was only a warning instead of a serious threat. Jeri never said one way or another- she said that she had to get to know Terry a little better, and determine who she really was in love with. She needed time, and that was the only certainty Takato had when he left later in the month. Needless to say, he was a nervous wreck for the rest of the semester.

As a result, his schoolwork suffered greatly. Adapting to high school, especially high school in Okinawa, was difficult enough for Takato. But after days spent trying to receive solace from Kai and Minami, weeks spent lying awake at night worrying that she'd choose Terry, and months spent talking to Henry in an attempt to get some information on what she was thinking (and with no real news to speak of)… school just didn't matter anymore.

Until he failed his freshman year.

"Shinjuku Park, please." His parents were dead, he lived nine hundred miles away from familiarity, his love life was in limbo, and he couldn't even survive his first year of high school. The future wasn't bright. In fact, odds were that he didn't have a future at all in this world.

Never was suicide on his mind. He wasn't one for that. He wasn't meant for this world… but another world may be willing to accept him. He reached into his bag of personal items. It was one of the few possessions that survived the fire. Takato clutched it as he neared his final destination. Hopefully his D-Power still had the power to take him there.

_----October, 20X4----  
_"…and please exhale." Henry followed the doctor's instructions while he was examined with a stethoscope. "Good. That should be all." Henry put his shirt back on and joined Takato, Kazu, and Kenta as they exited the examination room to join the girls. 

It was about a month after D-Reaper was destroyed, and while it wasn't out of their minds, it didn't dominate their thoughts. 

Kenta wasn't complaining. He was merely confused. "I understand why they need to check up on you and Henry, but why me and Kazu? We never bio-merged."

"I know… and why the drug testing?" Kazu asked. "Felt like a total invasion of my privacy."

"I don't know. Probably just a precautionary measure." Henry replied, as they joined Rika, Jeri, and Suzy. They didn't get much of a chance to talk with one another, as three others entered the room.

"Yamaki… what brings you here?" Takato asked. 

Yamaki, flanked as always by Riley and Tally, was grim. "Please have a seat." They were in a lounge area, so finding a seat presented no problem to the seven Tamers. "I'm sorry about the examinations. We felt it was necessary to make periodic check-ups on your physical and mental health after everything that happened."

"But those were all physical tests." 

"Yes. The mental part is next week. A counselor will be talking to each one of you privately, getting your thoughts on the matter and such. We've arranged it so she can meet with you periodically if necessary. Yamaki flashed a glance at Jeri. His last comment was particularly directed at her. "Are there any questions before I give you the news?"

"Where's Ryo? How'd he get out of all this?" Kazu had his question asked before either Suzy, Henry, or Takato could get their hands up.

Yamaki sighed, and looked back at Riley before turning to Kazu. "We have reason to believe that Ryo has disappeared again into the Digital World… against our wishes. We can't confirm this, and even if we could, we have no way of getting him back. I honestly can't say for certain whether or not any of us will ever see him again."

Henry put his hand down. That was a bombshell in itself. Unfortunately, Suzy was still determined to have her query fielded. "Will we ever see Terriermon or Lopmon again?" 

Her lisp made it all the more cute, and all the more heartbreaking for Riley and Tally to witness. Both looked aside, hoping that Yamaki could handle the question in a dignified manner.

However, Yamaki exhaled once, then made it plain and simple. "No."

Every Tamer in the room was in shock. Was that it? Being separated from their Digimon was bad enough, but to be told that they would never be seen again? 

"Yeesh… sugar-coat it a little bit." Tally mumbled to Riley, who responded with a nod of agreement.

Before the Tamers could begin their barrage of questions, Yamaki began his explanation. "Unfortunately, the Digital World and the Real World have both been affected severely by the incident. Both can repair themselves, but it takes time. The best way, and the safest way, to do that is to restrict the ties between the worlds as much as possible. Restoring the Real World to its form before D-Reaper will be much easier without the presence of Digimon, and restoring the Digital World will be easier without the presence of carbon-based life forms." 

Having concluded that point, Yamaki added another argument for good measure. "Even if it was safe… or even possible… to send you to the Digital World again, we exhausted too much of our resources to bring you children back last time. We can't afford to do it a second time. Do you understand?"

None of the seven responded. Deep down, they all understood, but it was still an emotional moment- knowing that it was the end. They would have to carry on without their digital companions, a barrier separating their two worlds eternally.

"Takato? I saw your hand up. Did you have a question?" 

Takato looked up at Yamaki. After staring at him for a second, Takato retracted his eyes back towards the ground. "Never mind." 

It was only yesterday that he had discovered that the gate to the Digital World was still open. He was going to tell everybody the exciting news. Now… it was useless information. His promise to Guilmon wasn't going to be kept after all.  
--------  
  


His life in this world was over. The words "can't" and "shouldn't" held no meaning. There were so many uncertainties, and one life had already been lost in the process. But there was always a chance. 

"Right here, sir." The taxi pulled up to the stop, and Takato paid him handsomely after retrieving his bags. As the cab drove off, Takato took a look around the park. Nobody was around. Perfect. He began the climb.

A rush of nostalgia filled him as he entered Guilmon's old "house." It was all so familiar, even though he hadn't been there in over a year. The gate was locked, but Takato climbed over it with relatively little trouble. He fell a little on the descent, but little more than skinned his knee. 

He headed into the shed and proceeded towards the back.  The hole was still there. Takato looked around. There were no friends accompanying him on the journey this time. He looked down into the hole. There was no white rabbit named Calumon to chase this time. It was just Alice and her need to find something different. Takato slipped down, praying that the gateway would still be open.

It was as shimmering as ever.

Takato couldn't help but smile. His land of opportunity. He was going to live in a land where nothing was guaranteed. Death was avoidable. Taxes weren't monetary and were only as taxing as his soul would allow. He took a deep breath and entered the portal.   
  


Nothing happened.

"The heck?" 

The gate looked exactly the same as it did when Takato and his fellow Tamers entered before. Takato slumped to his knees, set his duffel bag on his lap and pulled out his D-Power. At least that still worked. It appeared to be reacting to the portal, but nothing seemed to be working. 

"No…" He shook his head. It was so hard to believe. Was the dream of entering the Digital World just that- a dream? An impossible fantasy residing only in a child's head? 

He was about ready to give up. He was ready to turn around and hail another taxi. Maybe he could talk to Henry or something. He took another look at the D-Power. "What am I supposed to do?" Frustrated, he held the D-Power towards the gate. "Digi-Port Open?" What the heck, it worked in the cartoon. 

Without warning, he felt a force pulling him. It was different than before, but something was definitely happening. Takato grabbed his duffel bag, hoping that he could hang on to it. Ten seconds later, he was gone, flying through the mess of wires and data streams, heading towards the Digital World. 

He braced himself for the thud that he knew was coming. It came, but at least it was on a soft grass surface. He picked himself up and did a status check- everything on his person was in one piece, he had his bag with him, and his D-Power was still residing in the palm of his right hand. He looked around. It was a forested area, greener than any park he had ever been to. He was most definitely not in Shinjuku Park.

Takato smiled, set his bag down, and rested his head on it. There were a million things he had to do. Finding Guilmon was of utmost priority. For now, however, leaning back and taking in the unpolluted air was enough. He wanted to take a minute to forget about everything that had happened, and to forget about the things he left. He would probably never see Jeri Katou again. A major sacrifice perhaps, but a necessary one in the end. Perhaps she'd be happier with Terry anyway. She'd definitely prefer not having to deal with Takato and Terry fighting over her. Terry could have her. What Takato had could make up for it in the long run.  

A rustling in the bushes startled Takato for a brief moment, until a small, green creature with leaves sticking out of its head popped in and stared at Takato. Takato held up his D-Power, which recognized the creature as a Tanemon without missing a beat. 

Tanemon skipped away harmlessly. Takato didn't disturb it. He was too busy realizing what its presence meant. It was official.

Takato had found his new home.  
  


**To Be Continued in "Stage Two- Missing"**

**Author's Notes  
**Despite the way this starts out, this is not an angst fic. This is actually going to be the one… er rather… the three, that tie all of the seasons together. Subtle hints have already begun to take shape, and the less I explain, the better the experience will be.  
  
Unlike previous fics, the lengths of each chapter will probably fluctuate a lot. Some will be longer, some will be shorter, and some will be right in the middle. Also unlike previous fics, I'm keeping the Author's Notes to a bare minimum... meaning no more Next Chapter previews. Please leave any questions in an e-mail or review and I promise I'll answer them via e-mail.  
  
The rating of this will probably end up as an R later on. There will be strong language, violence, and adult themes… I just don't know to what extent I'm going to take them.   
  
A lot of thanks go out to Rb and Crest of Empathy for beta-reading this guy. Also, major props go out to Chris McFeely and the timelines for both the Adventure and Tamers series he has up on his site, which have become an indispensable tool for writing this (it's nice to be able to look at something I'm messing around with). Also thanks to Andy Taft, the guy that showed me Chris McFeely's site… even if it was just to brag about a page he contributed to.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage One of The Connection.


	2. Missing

**_Level 1: Worlds_****_  
_**_  
In Memory Of:  
Ryo Akiyama (1990-2020)  
Tai Kamiya (1988-2028)  
Cody Hida (1994-2029)  
  
_

**Stage Two- Missing  
  
**_----Present Day----_**  
**"I'm coming, I'm coming!" 

Henry stumbled towards the kitchen. School had just gotten out, and he was looking forward to an enjoyable spring break. In his eyes, the best way to kick off such a holiday is by sleeping in until one in the afternoon.

If only the phone would stop ringing…

He picked up the receiver. "Hello?" 

On the other end, a female voice presided. "Collect call from…"

"My name? Why, you want to go out or something?" 

Henry rolled his eyes. It was the unmistakable voice of Takato's cousin, Kai Urazoe.

"Do you accept the charges?" said the operator.

"Yeah, yeah…" Henry was slightly annoyed, but a call from Kai must have had something to do with Takato. Kai never talked to Henry for any other reason. 

Kai was as boisterous as always. "Hey there, Henry!" 

"Hello, Kai. How's everything in Okinawa?"

"Oh, we're just fine and dandy down here!" Kai seemed fine, but he never was one for wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

"Uh huh…" Henry skipped the chit-chat and cut to the chase. "How's Takato?"

Kai paused for a moment. "Wow- you just get right down to it, don't you? That's why I'm calling." Kai paused again. "I, uh… don't want to alarm you or anything but he's kinda missing."

Henry blinked. "What do you mean 'missing'?"

"You know… missing! Gone, vanished, have no clue where he is."

Henry wasn't too concerned as of yet. It was probably a false alarm. Kai also had a tendency to blow things out of proportion.

"So look for him. Your island isn't that big." 

"Call me crazy, Henry, but I think he may be headed for Tokyo. I snuck into his room today- his duffel bag was gone, his dressers were open, and all the money that he hides in the closet was gone too."

"Kai, don't jump to conclusions." Henry reassured Kai, although he himself was starting to grow worried. This didn't sound like typical Takato behavior.

Kai remained adamant in believing that something was up. "He never takes that money out of his closet! I should know- I was going to borrow it."

"Look, I'm sure Takato's not going to fly all the way over here without telling you.  Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine." 

"I don't know about that. I mean, what's the latest on his girlfriend and that other kid?"

Henry frowned. "I don't know. Jeri's been awfully indecisive. I don't think she's any closer to figuring it out than she was last winter."

"That bites. It's been eating Takato apart for awhile." 

"Yeah. Now you know why I don't date much."

"Point is, his grades have been slipping. I never got to see his report card, but I reckon it's not too pretty."

"Oh." Henry sighed. He was really concerned too, but there wasn't all that much he could do about it at the time. "Well, I have to get going. Let me know if you find him."

"Sure thing. Same goes for you too. I just… have this crazy feeling he's in your area."

Henry shook his head. All Kai ever had were crazy feelings. "I'm sure you do. See ya." 

As Henry hung up the phone, he was immediately interrogated by his sister, Jaarin.

"What was that about?" 

Henry turned around. He looked away quickly. "Hopefully it's nothing."

Jaarin approached the foyer, making every effort to remain within sight of Henry. "So what are you doing today?"

Henry went into the living room and plopped down on the couch. "Just going to hang out with my friends, I guess. I'm supposed to meet them at two." Mentally, he was trying to decide whether or not to tell them about the situation with Takato. Jeri would naturally get upset, but if Takato was really heading home, a prior warning would be helpful. They weren't meeting for another three hours, so he had time to kill. But he still had to deal with his sister. 

"How about you?" He finally asked.

"Work." Jaarin sounded like she had been waiting to say that the whole time.

"You're going to work already?!" Henry looked back at his sister. She was smiling. 

"That's right. Unlike some people in this family, I actually am planning to do something over spring break." Jaarin bragged. "Have you even started looking for a job?"

Henry slumped down on the couch. He knew exactly what Jaarin was doing. Their mother said that they were both old enough to start looking for work. Henry had conveniently forgotten about that, and Jaarin was conveniently reminding him. She was also seizing the opportunity to one-up him. Unfortunately, her devious plan was working perfectly in every aspect.

Jaarin laughed as she put on her shoes. "At the rate you're going, Suzy's going to have a job before you!" 

All Henry could do was stubbornly ignore her as she left. Jaarin was working. His brother was working. His mother was working. Heck, his friend Terry was working too. After a series of fantastical adventures, real life was finally starting to set in. It didn't matter how many times he had saved the world in the past, the future was still going to creep up on him. He had always described himself as mature… now he was going to have to prove it.

Henry turned on the television. One more lazy Saturday couldn't hurt.

Takato wasn't going to lose. This was his first battle in the Digital World, and he was determined to win it at all costs.

"Give it back!!" He had a hold of the straps, but the Gazimon had the bag itself. This was going to be an tough battle.

After an extended game of tug-of-war, Takato knew he was going to have to do something. With one mighty tug with his right hand, he lashed out at the bag with his left. He got a grip on it, but his plan had a side effect- he accidentally struck the Gazimon across the nose.

Immediately, the Gazimon dropped the bag, clutched his nose, and ran off. It wasn't about to provoke a fight. 

Takato had won, but opened the duffel bag to verify that everything was still inside. "Clothes- check. Pocket knife- check." The Digimon was probably after food, which Takato carried very little of. If he remembered what Ryo told him once, he didn't need it anyway.

"Goggles… check." The original goggles he wore for Guilmon were one of the many casualties of the fire. Before his journey, he had shopped around for a new set. They were almost an exact replica. Hopefully they would suffice. He strapped them on his forehead.

"Everything else- check." Gazimon hadn't gotten very far into the bag, and everything was intact. As insignificant as it was, Takato had triumphed over his first obstacle.

Takato heard a distant roar of water. He headed towards it, and came upon a rushing waterfall. It was a spectacular view, better than any Takato drank from the pool. There was something about it; it tasted so pure and clean. The water was untouched by man- unpolluted and unfiltered. Absolutely nothing stood in his way to convince him that he had made the wrong decision. He was away from everything, and was free to live his life on his own terms. 

The Digital World was much more peaceful than last time. The D-Reaper was devoid of presence, and the Sovereign must have been able to restore the world to its prior glory. But at the same time, problems were sure to arise. If Takato was going to spend his years here, he was sure to encounter conflict eventually. He carried a small knife, but that would do little more than scratch some of the more dangerous Digimon in the wild. Therefore, there was one element that remained crucial to his success. One battle that he had to win before even attempting to fight any others. 

Takato needed to find Guilmon.

"So how were your grades this year?" Kazu was just making small talk with Rika and Kenta as they waited for the rest of the gang to arrive at the park- their pre-ordained meeting place.

Rika cracked a smile. "Typical semester- pulled B's in everything except Home Economics. Another D… and another period of Mom riding my ass about it."

"See, I did pretty good this year. With one of my classes, the teacher passed me just so she wouldn't have to see me again. Now I only have to repeat one class!" Kazu boasted.

"What's that now, the third time you've pulled that off?" Kenta asked.

Kazu smiled, and held up four fingers. "Fourth! How'd you do Kenta?"

"Um… actually…" Kenta seemed a bit embarrassed to admit it. 

"Come on. Spill it."

"I got mostly B's… except for History and Math."

Kazu nodded. "Yeah… History's the one I have to repeat and Math was the one where I talked to the teacher…"

"Well… that's not what I meant." Kenta fidgeted. "I aced them." 

Kazu stared at Kenta, not sure what to make of the revelation. Kenta had betrayed the group by achieving good grades. 

Abruptly, Kazu changed the subject. "D in Home Ec again, huh Rika?" Rika glanced away. "Boy, you'll never land a husband."

Rika raised an eyebrow. "So what's the problem?"

"I'm just saying! There's probably a reason why you don't have a boyfriend."

Rika glared at him, before deciding to be frank with him. "Actually, there are two reasons why I don't have a boyfriend. The first one is simple- men are morons."

"But I got an A in History." retorted Kenta, rather weakly.

Both Kazu and Rika ignored Kenta. "What's the second reason?"

"Jeri." 

Rika's statement silenced Kazu temporarily. They all knew what she was going through. Nobody would have wanted to go through the torment that Jeri was currently faced with.

Kazu wasn't quiet for long. "Hey, it's better to have guys fighting over you than to have nobody going after you at all. At least in my opinion."

"Of course, you've just seen it from the perspective of 'nobody going after you at all.'"

Kazu jumped at the voice behind him, before smiling. "Terry! Glad you could make it!" 

Terry smiled. "Yeah, I got the day off. What were you talking about before I so rudely interrupted?"

"Um… grades." Kenta didn't want to venture into dangerous territory.

Terry chuckled. "All C's. I feel so average." Without warning, he delved back into the previous subject. "So what's this talk about Jeri?"

"Kazu's trying to convince me that it's better to have multiple guys chasing after you than none at all." Rika remained matter-of-fact. She was going to stay out of this…

"Well, Kazu's wrong." Terry replied. He remained serious. "I know what she's going through. It sucks. I know what happened with Jeri and that kid before. The whole D-Reaper thing. But I like her, and I think she likes me too. I just hope she'll see that soon.

The three former Tamers were silent. It was a constant game of politics when Terry was around. They all liked Terry, but they all maintained a sense of loyalty to Takato. As much as they all wanted to stay neutral and let Jeri make her own decisions, awkward moments like these were hard to avoid.

Kenta broke finally broke the silence. "Hey, it's not like we think you're trying to steal her away from us or anything, Terry. You're cool. If Jeri wants to be with you, then we're all for that." Kenta looked around for support. Kazu and Rika nodded, but remained silent. Kenta was still on his own "I mean… sure Takato and Jeri went through all of that. But, um…" Kenta searched for a way to justify the two breaking up. "…well Tai and Sora went through a lot and they never got together." 

Rika turned around in humiliation and Kazu buried his face in his hands as Kenta's entire argument went up in smoke.

Terry was just lost. "What?" He clearly wasn't ready for the reference.

"Kenta, I don't care how many A's you got, you're still an idiot." Kazu shook his head and turned to Terry. "Okay, I'll try to explain this to the unenlightened." Kazu cleared his throat. "In the Digimon television series, there were these two kids named Tai and Sora. Now, while I'm enjoying all the kick-ass battles and stuff that's going on, Kenta here got this crazy idea that there was some sort of romance thing going on between these two. So the second season goes by, and Kenta keeps saying there's some stuff going on. Then we hit the last episode, and we find out that Sora married Matt instead. I didn't mind; I thought that whole ending was kinda lame. But man… Kenta was crying like a little baby."

"Hey…" Kenta defended himself. "I was crying because it was such an emotional ending. Seeing all of them grown up with their kids and stuff."

"Yeah, sure." Kazu dismissed Kenta's defense and turned back towards Terry. "Point is- just because there might have been some sort of romantic thing going on between Jeri and Takato, that doesn't mean anything because there's still no guarantee that they'll stay together."

Terry still appeared lost. "I… see."

"And we also don't have to feel too bad for Tai because he had a kid too! And if he has a kid, he must've gotten it on with somebody!" 

Terry was wide-eyed. Kazu's case was a little too much information about a set of cartoon characters. 

"How did I end up with you people?"

"Just lucky I guess!" 

This time it was Terry's turn to be startled by someone behind him. Or rather… something. A sock puppet dressed up to resemble a small… cat. 

"Mew." it added for good measure.

Terry sighed. "Jeri… why do you have a cat on your hand?"

Jeri popped up from behind him, her own catlike smile on her face. "I had a puppy before, but Dr. Zeni said that Puppy might bring back 'negative repressed memories.' So I take Kitty with me instead!" 

"It's nice to meet you Terry, mew." "Kitty" said.

Terry smiled. Strange as she was sometimes, he couldn't help but love her. "Nice to see you're doing well."

"When the hell is Henry going to get here?!" Kazu immediately ended any chance for affection between the two. He was growing impatient.

"Yeah, it's almost two." Kenta added.

"Maybe he got stuck with Suzy." Terry said.

"That would suck." Rika replied.

"Yeah." Kazu agreed. "Of course, if it was Jaarin… am I the only one to notice that she's hot?"

Terry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah probably, but we'll be sure to pass the message to Henry when he gets here."

  
"Sorry I'm late guys."

Henry clearly had something on his mind when he reached the quintet. He was ten minutes late, but didn't seem that concerned about his tardiness. He appeared somewhat depressed, but hid it as well as possible.

"What's wrong?" Jeri immediately noted Henry's lack of enthusiasm. 

"Oh, uh… nothing." Henry averted his eyes. "At least I hope it's nothing. It's definitely not something to get you all worked up about." Quickly, he raised his head and changed the subject. "So, are we all ready? Let's get going before it closes."

Nobody moved.

"C'mon Henry, you can tell us." Kenta urged Henry on. Kazu, Rika, and Terry followed with similar sentiments.

"Um… I probably shouldn't." Henry rubbed the back of his neck, clearly nervous.

He looked up towards the rest of the group. By the looks on their faces, it was clear he wasn't going to be getting out of this one. "It's… about Takato."

Immediately, all eyes were on him.

Henry fidgeted. "Yeah, well, um… Kai called me this morning. It seems that Takato is… uh…" Henry glanced up. The ten eyes were unflinching, not blinking, their owners impatiently waiting for the news.

"He's… missing." The ten eyes blinked simultaneously. None of them knew exactly what he meant by "missing."

After a few seconds of confusion, Terry voiced what the other four were wondering. "What do you mean… missing?"

"Missing. Gone. Nobody knows where he is. Kai says he's coming up here, but I doubt it. I mean, why would he come all the way up here without telling his family where he was going?" 

After allowing a second to reflect, Henry let the question go unanswered. "I say it's nothing to worry about. Now let's get going. I thought we were here to have a good time." Henry led the way. Kazu, Kenta, and Rika followed, asking Henry a barrage of questions. Henry was unable to provide any conclusive answers.

Jeri lagged behind. "Takato…"

Terry was immediately there to provide support. "Hey, Henry's right. It's not something we should worry about. I'm sure he'll pop up eventually. There's no way he's going to fly 900 miles without telling anybody." Terry smiled and put a hand on Jeri's back, leading her towards the others. "Besides, he's in Okinawa… where's the hell's he going to run off to?"

"Uh oh… this could be bad."  

Takato relied on his D-Power's capability of finding Guilmon. Unfortunately, Guilmon was too far out of range in order for the device to register anything. As a result, Takato had no idea where he was supposed to go. It was a big world, and a step in the wrong direction could get him lost. 

Looking around, he realized that he already was lost. The wild grass was almost taller than he was. The Digital World had gone through so many changes post-D-Reaper. Takato had no idea which Digital Plane he was on. There was no magnetic pull, so a compass wouldn't help. Not that it would have mattered, since he didn't know if going north, south, east, or west would have yielded any advantage.

"Okay, Takato." He begin to talk to himself. "Finding Guilmon's going to be a lot harder than you thought. That's something you'll just have to get past. All you need to do is start to get a feel for this place. You need to know where everything is, and find someplace safe to set up camp." 

Takato nodded, and started swimming through the tall grass. He had calmed himself down for the time being. At least now he had a plan. But staying alive would prove difficult unless he had some way to protect himself.

There was a rustling nearby, ending any period of him being calm. 

Takato froze, unsure whether he should remain still, or run like hell.

The Digimon was easily bigger than Takato was- a giant blue and white mole with a large drill bit sticking out of its forehead. Takato's heart pounded as he bravely glanced down to check his D-Power.

Drimogimon: A champion-level Data-type. Its attacks were numerous and dangerous. It was clear which option was best- Takato was running like hell.

"Mole's claw!" Apparently, Drimogimon didn't like the sudden movement, and lashed out at Takato, slashing part of his bag and knocking him to the ground. Takato flipped around so he could at least see the Digimon closing in. The drill was beginning to spin. He had hoped to spend years in the Digital World. He hadn't even made it one day.

Takato closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable. It wasn't even a noble death. He was picked off before he could do anything remotely honorable.

He heard an immense blast that sounded like a gunshot. Takato assumed the worst-

that Drimogimon was attacking, planning to eliminate the human trespasser with no remains.

The pain didn't come. Takato opened his eyes. There was nothing there. Drimogimon was gone. 

Suddenly, he heard more rustling nearby. Something else was coming.

He heard a voice in that direction. "Sorry, but you're a little too close for comfort." it said.

Whatever it was, it was human. An adult male. "Can't have you and your friends barging in on our territory, eating everything in sight." He sounded somewhat bored, as if he was just doing his job, whatever that was. 

"Well, who was your first victim going to be?" Judging by the sound, the man was right nearby. The first thing Takato saw was the barrel of a black shotgun. It was pointed to the ground, but held in a way so that it could be utilized in a moment's notice. 

The man poked his head forward and his blue eyes connected with Takato's brown set. The man was in his late thirties and had blonde hair. He didn't look threatening. Rather, he stared down at Takato with a sense of awe. He appeared as perplexed as Takato was.

Another rustling stirred him away from Takato. "Oh boy. There may be more of them."

Finally, Takato spoke up. "They uh… don't know we're here, do they?"

The man responded by snapping off a few blades of the grass and throwing them up in the air. They blew towards the noise. "Shit… not only can they smell us… they can sense the data of the one I blew away. They're going to be pissed." He turned towards Takato. "We have to get out of here. C'mon."

Takato grabbed his bag. It was still intact, only now with an additional opening. Takato followed the man as they steadily exited the patch of wild grass and headed towards the woods. 

The man turned around and scanned the surroundings. "Looks like we're far enough away for now. But still… we should get those guys further back or we may run into problems. Damn C-Levels."

Takato frowned, not understanding the jargon. "Um… C-Levels?"

The adult looked down at the child and explained. "C-Level. Short for Champion Level. It's in-between Rookie and Ultimate."

Takato got it. "Understood."

"Pretty easy to remember if you ask me. Just remember- 'Bircum.'"

"Bircum?"

"Bircum. Baby, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, Mega. I guess if you want to be technical you can try to throw in Armor... but then it doesn't sound as good." The man smiled. "Don't you hate when those mnemonic devices bend themselves to sound good? Like Roy G. Biv… is indigo really all that important to remember? Hell no, they just needed a vowel." 

After his brief ramble, he exhaled once, then returned his attention to Takato. "I'd better take you to camp. Come on." 

The two began to walk through the woods. After a while, the man finally introduced himself.

"By the way, my name's TK."  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Three- Paradise"**

**Author's Notes  
**I love how right away, everything in italics immediately throws everybody for a loop.  
  
This stage brings light of the fact that this story will not only have expansive coverage of the digi-destined as adults, but will also track the Tamers as they grow up. Henry being pressured to get a job and Jeri's love quandary are current examples, while some of the stuff going on with others give rise to events later.  
  
I'm going to be writing dialogue using a very strange logic. Namely, I won't explain what characters mean when they say certain things. If they talk about an event in the past, I won't give you the details- anything important will be covered later. This will be especially apparent next stage, as not only are some more digi-destined introduced, but the fourth season starts to have some presence in conversation. Again… with no details.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Two of The Connection.


	3. Paradise

**_Level 1: Worlds_****_  
_**_  
In 2004, the original digi-destined formed the Digimon Activity Advisory Board.  
In 2005, the United Nations recognized the Digital World as a sovereign state.__  
In 2005, the Digital World was appointed a representative in the UN General Assembly.__  
An American, Howard Fisher, was selected as the representative by DAAB.__  
  
_**Stage Three- Paradise**  
  
They hadn't been walking long, but the silence was starting to bother Takato. TK had said nothing, and only looked at Takato a couple times along the way. 

Takato decided to take the initiative. "Um…" he began.

"It's not too far," TK replied, "We took over a small research station by the forest terminal. It's quieter here than it is in the cities."

"Who else is with you?"

TK stopped and turned around, looking Takato in the eye. "Look, I'm in no position to figure out who the heck you are. I'll let the others decide. But right now," he continued with a more condescending tone, "You're just a kid that got lost and somehow ended up here. If you came here intentionally looking for an adventure… then you better hope the others have more sympathy than I do."

Takato fell silent, but remained on edge. He didn't know what TK was doing here, but Takato had assumed that TK was going to be willing to help. That was in jeopardy, so Takato remained quiet as they continued walking.

"You didn't get called here by a cell phone by any chance, did you?" TK added as an afterthought.

"No, sir," Takato swiftly replied.

"Good."

"Forest Terminal Research Station: Established 2009" 

The wooden sign was falling into disrepair. The white letters were in desperate need of repainting and weeds were starting to grow at the base. It wasn't much of a greeting, but Takato was still relieved to see a sign of civilization. Forest Terminal Research Station consisted of two log cabins and a third, more modern, building. Judging by the various apparatuses mounted on the roof of the third building, Takato guessed that that was where the actual research was conducted. In the center of the three buildings was an extinguished campfire pit.

"It might be awhile before we see anyone else so I'll give you the grand tour." TK looked around the facility, trying to decide what to show first. He pointed to the research building,  "Research Station." He turned and pointed to the cabin nearest to Takato, "Site A." He turned to the other cabin, "Site B." Finally, he turned to Takato, "Any questions?"

Takato scratched his head and asked, "Uh… what's in them?"

TK smiled. Takato still couldn't be sure whether TK liked him or not. There remained an air of distance, as if TK still didn't want Takato to become too comfortable here. Nevertheless, TK was smiling, and started to explain, "The research station is our communication to the outside. We remain in close contact with a lot of other parts of the world, and can access just about every corner of the Digital World if necessary."

The adult walked towards the cabin designated Site B. Takato followed closely. "The cabins were built so that researchers could stay here over an extended period of time if they needed to conduct a long-term project." 

TK swung the door open and stepped inside, with Takato entering afterwards. 

"Um… is there a place to take off your shoes?" Takato asked.

"No, this place was built by British researchers… I think." 

Takato took his shoes off anyway and stepped into the main hall. TK remained in the foyer, with his shoes on. "Two bedrooms, with two beds in each, a kitchen, and a little lounge area." 

Takato was only passively listening to his tour guide. Instead, he was getting a first-hand look at the rooms TK was describing. 

"It's not the Hyatt, but we aren't exactly roughing it either," TK concluded.

As Takato closed the door to one of the bedrooms, he turned back to TK. He didn't want to intrude, but the subject was difficult to avoid any longer. "Is there a, uh…"

"Across from the lounge. On your right," TK responded immediately. As Takato entered the stated room and shut the door, TK stepped outside. 

It wasn't the most unusual thing that ever happened in his life. But TK knew the ramifications of the kid's presence. The gate was supposed to be closed. There was thought to be no possibility of reopening it. But somehow, this boy got through. It meant that either something had changed, or that someone had beaten the system. The question, of course, was whether that was good or bad.

TK's thoughts trailed off as he heard a human grunting from the edge of the woods. He knew immediately who it was. Judging by the grunt, the person was disobeying medical orders as well. TK walked up to her.

She was carrying a large stack of logs. "Need any help with that?" TK asked.

Kari shuffled the logs around. "No, I'm fine." She winced at the brief pain in her back.

TK took the initiative and received a majority of the logs. "Didn't Joe say you should go easy?"

"Joe says a lot of things. Really, I'm fine."

The designated storage area was about fifteen yards away from the pit. After reaching it, they both set their loads on the ground. Kari immediately threw a hand to her back. She was clearly in some pain. 

"You know, maybe you should have gone with the others. I'm sure Joe wouldn't have minded." TK continued as Kari made her way to a cabin, "You say it's nothing major, but for all we know you could have a ruptured disk. It's not like we can x-ray it or anything."

Kari stopped at the entrance of the first cabin and turned back around. "TK, it's nothing to get worried about. That's why God invented pain killers."

TK shook his head and smiled. Perhaps he should have considered it fortunate that little spats like these were usually what constituted "internal conflict" within the group.

Takato opened the exterior door of the other cabin and rejoined TK. "So how many people live here?"

TK hadn't forgotten about the new kid. He was trying to forget until everybody else was back, but he didn't succeed. "Six," he answered.

"Will I get to meet everybody?"

"Oh yeah." TK's apprehension remained, but Takato's presence was huge. There was no way he could afford to let this kid slip away without a consultation with the other five.

"How long before everybody gets back?"

"Well, there's one here now. As for the others…" TK stopped and took a step towards Site A. "Kari! Which train did the others take?"

"Franken!" she yelled from inside.

TK turned to Takato, "It might be a few hours."

"Who are you talking to?" Kari said as she exited the cabin. 

As soon as she did, she saw Takato and froze. 

"Holy shit." 

A second later, Kari snapped out of her trance. "Uh… sorry. Um… what I meant to say was… uh…" Kari tilted her head. "Holy shit."

TK looked to the ground. "No kidding," he muttered.

"Where'd he come from?" As Kari began her barrage of questions, TK walked towards her, leaving Takato standing alone.

"I found him. Like half an hour ago." 

"How long has he been here?"

"Uh…" TK turned towards Takato. "Hey, kid, how long have you been here?"

Takato thought about it for a second and answered, "I just got here today."

Kari skipped the middle man and started asking Takato the questions. "How did you get here?"

"The digital gate was open. I got in with my digivice."

Both TK and Kari raised their eyebrows at the word. "You still have your digivice?" asked TK.

Takato nodded and replied, "Yeah." He went to his bag and retrieved it. "It still works too." He held it up towards TK and Kari, their eyes fixated on the device.

"How old are you?" Kari asked.

"Fifteen."

Kari and TK eyed each other, both trying to decipher what the other made of Takato's answer. TK gave up and turned back towards Takato. "Are you a Chosen?"

Takato hesitated before answering, "No."

Kari followed up with, "Are you a Gatekeeper?"

Takato again answered, "No." He didn't even know what that was.

TK and Kari paused, thinking of an additional possibility. Finally, TK blurted, "Are you a Legendary Warrior?"

This time Kari responded, slapping her forehead.

"What's a Legendary Warrior?" Takato asked.

Kari shook her head. "Never mind." She took a few steps toward Takato and forced a smile. "Look. I'm sure you're just as confused as we are. TK and I aren't exactly being good hosts, are we?" Kari looked back at TK, who folded his arms, watching the conversation carefully.

"I guess. I mean, I didn't think I'd find anybody here. How long have you been here?"

"Since the Digital World was sealed seven years ago." 

Before Takato could ask anything about that, Kari continued with a smile. "We definitely haven't met properly. We haven't even been introduced." She extended a hand. "Kari Fisher."

Takato accepted the handshake. "Takato Matsuki."

Kari's hand fell limp, and slumped to her side as soon as Takato released it. Her smile fell just as quickly. 

"What did he say?" asked TK, equally suspicious.

"Takato Matsuki," Takato repeated.

"Oh jeez…" TK put a hand to his face and paced around. Finally, he looked Takato in the eyes, "Kid, I'm elated as always, but you came a really long way for an autograph. Seriously, what's your name?"

Takato's eyes went from TK to Kari. She was concerned, although he wasn't sure whether it was because she thought he was lying… or thought he was telling the truth.

"Like I said, Takato Matsuki." Takato dug into his pants pocket and fetched an identification card. He gave it to Kari. "What's the big deal?"

Kari took the card and analyzed it carefully. "Takato Matsuki. Age 15," she read, "Kyoda, Okinawa."

"Let me see that." TK walked over as Kari handed him the card. He looked over it. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a really strange coincidence."

"Coincidences make for bad plot devices, Kari."

"Maybe his parents are fans," Kari suggested.

TK scoffed. "Why the hell would anyone name a child after Takato Matsuki?" 

"Well, you named a kid..."

TK interrupted before Kari could complete her argument, "Takuya was popular!"

"Who's Takuya??" Takato asked, not wanting to be ignored.

TK turned towards Takato and asked, "Have you ever read Digital Frontier... Takato?" He still didn't believe that Takato was his real name, and made that clear through his inflections.

After thinking about it for a moment, Takato answered, "No."

"Chronicles of the Odaiba Chosen?" 

Takato shook his head. 

"Just as a long shot... Joint Partners?"

"I haven't even heard of those," Takato answered, "What are they? Books?"

"Yeah. So you've never heard of me?"

Takato was about to answer negatively for the fourth straight time, but the name TK Takaishi did ring a bell. He just couldn't put his finger on where he remembered it.

Kari attempted a different method, "Takato, did your parents ever explain to you where you got your name?"

"Nope," Takato kept his answer short. It was true, but he was still trying to place where he heard TK's name before.

"You sure?" TK asked again, "Parents like to tell their kids stuff like that, especially if it has some significance. I think my brother and I were named after an anime..."

Anime... Takato's eyes fully opened. He had reached enlightenment.

"That's where I've heard of you! You're a cartoon character!!" 

Both TK and Kari jumped back in reaction to the accusation. Takato continued, "Yeah, you're TK Takaishi." He frantically tried to recall the details of the show. "Your partner was... Patamon... and you became a writer! So you wrote those books you said before?"

"Uh..." TK was somewhat dumbfounded. "Yeah."

Takato turned to Kari. "And you're Kari..." Takato tried to remember the last name. "What was it? Come on, come on, come on... Kamiya!" Takato quickly silenced himself. "Wait- didn't you say it was Fisher?"

"It wasn't before she got married," TK pointed out.

Kari was somewhat freaked out, but displayed her hand, with a wedding ring planted on one finger. "These things happen," she said.

"Wow... I'm standing here with two of the kids from the series..." Takato was visibly excited until he realized the physical impossibility of sharing time and space with animated characters. "What the hell is going on??!!" he shouted.

"Obviously they turned Chronicles into an anime," Kari made what seemed to be a natural assumption.

"Dammit... they were trying to get the rights from me for years," TK muttered, "Fucking vultures."

"Wait a minute... why are you so surprised? Didn't they say that those things really happened?" Kari asked.

Takato thought about it for a second before replying, "Well... no. They didn't."

"What do you mean? The whole reason I wrote the thing was to tell everybody what us Chosen went through." TK was still angry, and was looking for more fuel for the fire.

"We all thought it was just a made-up story. Heck, we didn't even think Digimon were real until they started showing up in real life."

"That's very strange..." Kari held her left hand to her chin, "Especially with the Digimon emerging in the real world. Especially without us knowing it." Kari turned to her adult companion, "What do you think, TK?"

"I think the Ministry of Truth decided we were ungood and rewrited history to account for us unpersons." TK's comment drew two blank stares. "George Orwell? 1984?" Obviously, neither of two got the reference.

"We can't jump to conclusions, TK. Remember, some of the Odaiba Chosen are still in the real world."

Takato raised his hand. "I have a question. What's a Chosen?"

"You don't know what a Chosen is?" TK asked. "It's us. We were chosen by the Digital World."

"Oh. See in the series you were always called digi-destined."

"That's also very strange. I mean... everybody's a digi-destined," noted Kari.

"The term lost virtually all meaning years ago," TK added. 

"So... what does this all mean?" As hard as he tried, Takato couldn't come up with any conclusions.

"Well... between your name, this whole deal with the anime, and the fact that you're even here... something weird is going on." Kari sighed. There were no other conclusions that could be reached. 

After a moment of silence, Kari smiled. "Are you hungry, Takato? You must be starving after making a trip like this."

"Uh... well... I guess so." Once again, Takato didn't think it mattered, but he accepted the offer.

Kari led Takato towards Site A. TK caught up with Kari, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he whispered.

"Go on inside, Takato, I'll be there in a second." As Takato obeyed her order, Kari turned back towards TK, "What do you mean? He's still a kid that needs hospitality." 

TK kept his voice down. "I don't know... I don't know if we can trust him." 

Both adults observed Takato as he took off his shoes again, "If he really came from the real world, he may have the ability to go back," Kari also was quiet, "He might be the one that saves us all."

"He might also be the one that destroys us all," TK replied.

Terry sat on the couch in the Katou's living room, looking out the window. Although the collage comprising the city's lights heavily obstructed the night sky, a few brave stars shone through.

"Whatcha looking at?" 

Terry only briefly glanced to his right, acknowledging Jeri's half-brother Masahiko.

He returned to the window and said, "I don't know."

Masahiko jumped up next to Terry and peered through the glass, "The big bright one is Venus."

"You're a smart kid," Terry continued to stare at the planet, "It's strange though. Venus is the only thing I see... but it still seems so out of reach."

"Oh yeah, Jeri's still on the phone." 

"Of course she is."

By the time Jeri entered the room, Masahiko had gone elsewhere. Terry stood, awaiting the news.

She was choked up, on the verge of tears. "Still no sign of him," she said. 

Terry placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be alright. I'm sure he's fine."

"But what if he's gone because of me?" 

The two sat down on the couch. Jeri remained in Terry's arms as he continued to console her. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Well, I should have been there for him and instead I... I..."

Terry shook his head. "Jeri, please don't tell me that what's happening between you and me is a bad thing." 

Jeri didn't respond. 

"Because it's not. You can't blame yourself for the actions of other people. Takato's going through a lot. Maybe he just needs time to think things through by himself."

Jeri kept her head down. "Is it hard living without your parents?"

Terry sighed, "Well, it was very hard for me after my dad died. It hurt... and you know it took awhile. But Mom and I got through it."

"What happened between you and your mother anyway?"

Terry bit his lip. "I don't like talking about it. We had disagreements. She made decisions that I didn't agree with. There were times when I lost all respect for her."

"Such as?" 

"Well..." he paused, before going on, "She changed jobs, and we had to move a lot. But I didn't like the way we were always jumping around the world. We only came here a few years ago, and now we had to leave already. And I was so comfortable here that I just was sick of it. So she moved and I didn't. She still sends money and helps support me, but I haven't seen her in more than a year."

Jeri picked her head up and looked up at him. "But don't you hate not being with your parents? Don't you hate being alone?"

"But Jeri..." Terry smiled and brushed her hair gently with his right hand, "I'm not alone. And neither are you. And I'm sure Takato will realize that neither is he."

"Terry..." Jeri leaned against his shoulder as he quietly stroked her hair.

He let out a sigh, although not audible enough for her to hear it. To him it was another uncomfortable situation courtesy of Takato Matsuki. It had been happening ever since he started dating Jeri, although never this severe.

As someone who had also lost a parent through unnatural causes, Terry felt a good deal of empathy towards Takato. And Terry had enough of a guilt trip for "stealing" Jeri away. But this whole disappearance was starting to get on his nerves. If Terry had been taught nothing else, it was that life goes on for as long as it's allowed to go on. That seemed to be the problem- Takato wasn't letting his life progress. Takato couldn't control the death of his parents, but he could control his reaction to it. And now, more than a year after the incident, he still hadn't fully recovered. To Terry, that wasn't being grief-stricken. That was being a baby.

Takato was laughing so hard he could barely keep his tea down. 

"But you know he's so nice about it that it scares some of us." Kari sat across from him, pouring him another serving before sitting down to her own cup. "You know you'd think money would go to his head, but he's still the same old Davis."

"Really?"

"You bet! Okay, you know when TK wrote Chronicles and it did so well, he was obviously raking in the royalties. He was looking at a lot of money for what was essentially telling our story to the world. So TK figures that it's only fair that all of the Odaiba Chosen should get a cut of the royalties."

"Makes sense," Takato replied, listening intently.

"TK kept about half of it for himself and split the other half amongst us eleven. Even divided like that it was still a good amount... especially since we really didn't do anything to earn it."

"Well, you did save the world," joked Takato.

Kari was all smiles, "Oh yeah, we were just... cashing in on it years later. We probably all could have signed book deals and cleaned up." Kari set herself back on track, "Anyway, a few weeks later Davis is in New York on a business trip. I take the day off and meet him for lunch. I knew that he'd buy; it was worth a sick day." Takato laughed as she continued, "We start talking and conversation turns to the book. He thought that TK wrote him to be a little stupider than he really was. I don't know- I thought it was pretty accurate myself."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Of course! But Davis, you know, he just takes it with a smile. So I bring up his share of the royalties and how he got some cash from TK's perception of him. Davis shrugs it off, tells me he gave it all to charity."

"Wow..." 

"I know. He didn't even think twice about giving it away either. He didn't even feel all that special about it. Meanwhile, I'm sitting back in my seat thinking, 'Damn, I used that money to buy a big-screen TV!'" 

As both Takato and Kari shared a hearty laugh, TK entered the cabin. "I heard a whistle. They should be back soon."

"Hey TK, what did you use your cut of the royalties for?" Takato asked.

TK didn't smile. "I used it to pay the rent on my apartment. Remember, that's not supplemental income for me- that's my job."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry." Takato apologized and changed the subject, "You never did tell me what the big deal is with my name. Who the heck is Takato Matsuki?"

TK sat down next to Kari and answered, "Takato Matsuki was a character in my first published novel, Joint Partners." TK paused for a second to let Takato lean in closer, "He was friends with the main characters, Ai and Mako. You see, Ai and Mako were twins, but somehow, they ended up having to share a Digimon partner among themselves." TK smiled, "Fun concept, huh?"

Takato was one breath away from declaring that he knew an Ai and a Mako, and that they had shared a Digimon partner. Ultimately, however, he didn't want to scare the two any further. 

"Anyway, the main story was about them trying to be good partners without killing each other. Takato Matsuki was a friend of theirs. He liked Ai, but Mako was really protective of his sister. I thought it was kind of cute." 

Takato was barely listening. Instead, he was more concerned with getting the thought of himself having a romantic interest in little Ai out of his head. 

"And I can see you don't agree..." TK concluded, "It's okay. It wasn't all that good anyway. Nobody ever gets it right the first time."

Kari smugly shook her head, "I still say that that whole thing with Mako, Ai and Takato was inspired by you, me and Davis when we were kids." 

"Well... maybe a little. Why, is that a problem?"

Kari stifled a chuckle. "Seems kinda weird now." Kari raised an eyebrow at TK, "You and me? Brother and sister?"

TK also tried not to laugh, "Well, Leia kissed Luke in Episode Five." TK quickly looked at Takato and explained, "Star Wars." 

"Yeah, I, uh... got that one," Takato replied.

"Did you say they were almost here?" Kari changed the subject.

"I said I heard a whistle. I don't know if it's them or not," TK answered.

Kari stood. "Well, I'll go check. They'll need somebody to help carry everything back." 

TK nodded as she exited the cabin. Five seconds later, he jumped up, screaming, "Your back!!" As he ran out, he turned to Takato. "Stay here," he barked.

Takato sat back and looked out the window. This was definitely not what he expected. Instead of the adventure of a lifetime, he was a visitor being treated by a happy family. Takato had psyched himself so much for the adventure that he wasn't ready for Kari's gracious hospitality. 

He knew it was dangerous to get too comfortable. He wanted to find Guilmon before doing anything else. As much of a detour as he had taken, it was still Takato's first priority. But TK, Kari, and whoever else was with them had carved out a very decent lifestyle in this hostile environment. Staying with them was a very tempting option. Takato forced himself to think rationally- it was probably better than a nomadic life of chaos and uncertainty. 

Of course, he could do both. TK and Kari, whether digi-destined or Chosen or whatever term they were afforded, both loved Digimon as much as Takato. Perhaps after finding Guilmon, Takato could still live with them. Perhaps Takato could even enlist help from Kari or TK to find his partner.

Again, Takato had to remain realistic. Staying with them would be asking a lot. Asking them to help find his friend would be asking a lot. TK was clearly hesitant about allowing Takato to get too close. Kari was much friendlier, but would she be able to accept Takato as a permanent neighbor? Nothing was certain. Takato could count on very little; regardless of whether he was thinking of the Digital World when he left it or the status of the Digital World when the series ended- Times had changed.

Takato looked out the window. On the other end was a blue-haired gentleman with glasses. He looked a little older than TK or Kari, but by no more than five years. Takato couldn't predict exactly how old the man was since the man was screaming.

TK rushed over and calmed him down, before signaling to Takato to come outside. Takato obeyed, put his shoes back on, and exited the cabin. 

"Um Joe… this is, uh… Takato Matsuki." TK looked at Takato, "Takato, this is our resident doctor Joe Kido."

"This has got to be some kind of a joke." The resident doctor appeared to be hyperventilating. "You… you can't be here."

"I'm uh… I'm here all right," Takato cracked a nervous smile and bowed quickly, "Nice meeting you."

Joe stared at Takato for a full ten seconds before turning towards the second cabin, "I gotta go lie down."

"Can't say I blame him for the reaction," TK told Takato, "I probably would have acted the same way if I didn't have to save your life first. Which reminds me…"

Takato didn't hear TK, as he was busy staring at a cardboard box moving quietly along the grass, "Uh… Mr. Takaishi??"

TK looked at the box and smiled, "What? Something wrong?" TK calmly walked over to the box and lifted it up, "I can take it from here Armadillomon."

"Thanks. My shell was about ready to crack." Armadillomon's shell looked fine, but TK carried the box the final ten yards to the research facility anyway.

"Were Cody and the others behind you?"

"Yeah. Cody's trailing along somewhere."

"Good, I got a job for you two."

Takato leaned his back against the cabin. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had to concentrate on making a good first impression. If he could earn the trust of the group, good things were bound to happen.

However, all thoughts of impression management ended when he saw a nine-year-old struggling with a keg.

"Hey, TK, could you give me a hand?" Cody could barely get his hands around it.

TK ran up to Cody, "Oh yeah… that's the beer right?" Cody nodded as TK took the cargo, "Did we get the imported stuff this time?"

"Miller High Life."

"Eh, close enough." TK set it on the ground next to the first box. He turned back to Cody, "Hey, we have a few Drimogimon about a half-mile away from here. I don't know if they're threatening or not, but could you and Digmon let them know we're here?"

"Oh. Sure thing, TK. Come on, Armadillomon!" 

"You don't have to go right now."

"If I don't do it now, I'm going to forget about it. Which direction?"

TK pointed, "Near the plains off to the west." Cody nodded and led Armadillomon in that direction, "Uh, do you want to take the rifle? Just in case they're hostile?"

Cody looked back at TK. "I'll be fine. I don't want to bully them or anything."

"I'm just saying. You can't be too careful around C-Levels. One almost killed Takato."

Cody's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out who TK was talking about. He looked over to the left and saw Takato, still leaning against the cabin. Takato was staring back at Cody, in equal awe. "I'll ask later," he told TK before turning to Armadillomon, "Come on."

"I won't have to mark territory again, will I?" Armadillomon asked as the boy and his Digimon left the station.

Now Takato was completely lost. TK walked up to him, "Don't get too worked up. First off, he doesn't actually drink it. Secondly, it's not really beer. It's more of a strange digital substitute that tastes exactly the same. And third, he's not really… well, never mind."

Takato scratched his head, "Oh. Okay." He let it go for the time being and changed the subject, "Hey, where's Patamon and Gatomon? And Gomamon for that matter."

"Patrolling. Like many other Digimon, they have a responsibility to patrol a section of the Digital World, and report any problems to us. If need be, we deal with them." TK sighed and continued, "I guess that's come to be our jobs. We keep the peace, and in exchange the Digimon make sure we have access to food and supplies that we need to stay alive." TK motioned to the boxes by the research facility, "This month's shipment is coming in as we speak." 

Takato nodded. At the very least, he understood that part.  
  


Meanwhile, Kari was struggling with her second heavy load of the day. Alongside Kari, a second woman was carrying an equally large box of food, "You don't see any problem with this?" she asked, shifting the box's weight to her other arm.

"Sora, she asked if she could help. I didn't want her to feel useless." Between them, a tall blond man was carrying nothing.

"Thanks a bunch, Matt," Kari replied.

"You're looking pretty useless," Sora addressed Matt.

"I'm providing moral support." Sora scoffed at Matt's reply, "Seriously… how does this feel?" Matt began to rub the back of Sora's neck.

"Matt, that doesn't really help… a little lower." Matt obliged. "Yeah… that's it."

"You like that, don't you?" Sora nodded. "Good. You owe me one later tonight then."

"You know, I'm the one with the bad back." Kari interjected.

"Oh, sorry." With his free hand, Matt began to massage Kari's back. As soon as he made contact, Kari dropped the box and yelped in pain. She began to fall, but Matt caught her. He eyed Sora. "Oops."

"Ow…" Kari mouthed.

Fortunately, they were close enough to camp to signal TK's attention. "Hey TK! Get over here!" Matt yelled. 

"Oh jeez… too much to carry?" TK asked upon arriving.

"Uh… yeah." TK looked for a way to safely carry Kari, when Matt stopped him. "What are you doing?" Matt pointed to the box. "Take the box. I got her." TK and Sora simultaneously rolled their eyes as Matt carefully picked Kari up and carried her toward the cabins. 

"Where's Joe?" Matt asked TK.

"He said he was going to lie down."

Matt nodded, then abruptly looked at Takato, "Hey! Mysterious new kid Kari was telling us about!"

Takato pointed to himself, "Uh, me?"

"Yeah. Get Joe." Matt moved his head towards Cabin B. Takato quickly obeyed.

Matt carried Kari into the same cabin and laid her down on a sofa, just as Takato succeeded in getting a grumbling Joe out of his room. As soon as Joe saw Kari, he frowned. "Figures," he mumbled. 

Joe sighed and bent down to take a look at Kari's back, lifting the back of her shirt in the process. "Um… a little privacy?" Kari stared at both Matt and Takato until they left the cabin.

Matt spied TK and Sora placing the last boxes with the others. "Well… looks like that's taken care of," he said.

"I guess so," Takato replied.

"Next order of business…" Matt looked down at Takato and suddenly grew stern, "Who the hell are you and how the hell did you get here?" 

"Here we go again…" Takato thought as he prepared for another round of questioning.

That night, Takato was left inside a cabin as the six Chosen gathered outside. Sora closed the cabin door and joined the other five, who were seated around a burning campfire. Nobody was smiling. Nobody was joking. All six knew that the discussion was very serious.

"Obviously, we have a very strange situation here with Takato," Matt began, "Now I don't know what to make of all that stuff with his name, and his digivice is unlike anything I've ever seen before. He says he used it to open a port and come here from the real world. He also says he just wanted to get away from reality. Personally, I don't know how much of that can be believed. He sounds honest, but I can't really tell. 

"Either way, the question before us is whether or not we want him living with us." Matt paused as Kari shifted her ice pack to her other hand, "We'll deal with this as we always do- with a discussion, then a vote. Since we're basically asking him to become one of us, I think that we need at least a two-thirds majority." Matt looked around. This was standard protocol that the group used for their formal decision-making process. Relatively minor decisions would be majority-rule, but long-term decisions like these that could affect everybody for a long time required two-thirds of the Chosen voting to be in favor. In case there was a tie, they would allow their Digimon to collectively decide. Usually, these discussions were boring and routine, but all five were paying full attention to Matt as he presided, "Well, who wants to say something?"

Kari was the first to speak up, "I don't see what the big deal is. He's a nice boy. I like him already. He needs to stay somewhere, and we have plenty of room, and plenty of supplies to go around. As long as he's willing to help out with chores or our monthly run, then I'd love to take him in."

"Kari, you can't base anything off first impressions," Joe said, "I personally don't know about all this. I mean, the whole idea of him just happening upon a port and getting here seems kind of fishy. I can't help but think he's here for a reason."

"That's exactly what I think," TK replied, "I mean, he doesn't even have a partner to protect him. If it weren't for me, he'd already be dead. I don't want him to be a liability in case something bad comes up. And we all know that something bad is bound to happen one of these days."

Joe continued, "And besides that, where the heck would he stay? I've gotten very comfortable in my own room, so…" 

"He can stay with me." Young Cody interrupted Joe and stood up. Despite the fact that he dwarfed the other five by at least half a meter, the fierce look in his eyes demanded that everybody take the boy seriously, "I can't believe the nerve of you people. Thinking that Takato can just be thrown out if we don't want him. It's a dangerous world out there. How would we be able to live with ourselves if we told him that he's not welcome here, and he should just go off and get killed somewhere? Like TK said, he doesn't have a partner, and that's all the more reason to take him in. He's not a pet, he's a person, and we have to treat him like one and be as caring as I know we all are."

Matt watched Cody sit down. "The defense rests," Matt quipped as he stood to conduct the vote, "If there's nobody else, we'll vote now. All in favor of allowing Takato into the group?" 

Immediately Kari and Cody raised their hands. It didn't take long for Sora to join them. Matt gave TK and Joe time to consider it, but neither moved a muscle. Matt himself knew his stance, and kept his hand down.

"All opposed?" he asked. Again, he knew his own feelings. He was non-committal about it all. Matt was hoping to be able to abstain and let the other five decide. Joe and TK were extremely hesitant. Finally, TK raised a hand- the lone voice of dissent. 

"Not voting Joe?" Matt wanted to make sure.

 "I can't do it. I really have a bad feeling about all this, but Cody's right," Joe explained.

Matt nodded. He felt the same way. Fortunately, with himself and Joe abstaining, the choice had been made. "Okay then. By a three to one vote, Takato Matsuki is now recognized as one of us." 

Matt looked around the fire to the mixed reactions. Cody and Kari were smiling, fully believing that the democratic process had helped justice prevail once again. Sora was nodded silently. Matt could sense the trepidation in his wife's face. Perhaps she felt obliged to help Takato- that they needed to help him more so than they wanted to. And then there were Joe and TK. Joe was shaking his head. He clearly wasn't sure about this, but wasn't going to fight it. TK, on the other hand, was deep in thought.

"I just thought of something," TK stood after careful deliberation, "Takato's pretty young. He says he's fifteen, but he looks a lot younger. From what I can tell, he's too young to remember the Sealing. If he doesn't know about it, I don't think we should tell him how we got here. It's just… such a painful memory. I don't want to go through that again." TK looked over at Kari, who accepted the statement with a nod.

Joe fielded the response, "It's a part of history. I'm sure he's curious. Heck, he can take our side." 

"Okay…" Matt continued, "Majority rules. Who thinks we should not tell Takato about the Sealing?" 

TK immediately raised an arm. Kari and Sora followed soon afterwards. After considering the argument himself, Matt also raised an arm. He too wanted to forget it ever happened. 

"Opposed?" 

Joe raised a hand. 

"Not voting Cody?" 

Cody shook his head. He didn't remember the Sealing either, and couldn't care less about whether those who did know told Takato.

"Okay then, that's settled." Matt concluded, "Takato's in, he's living with Cody, and mum's the word about the Sealing."

After a few moments to let it all settle in, they slowly began to head back to the cabin Takato was sequestered in. TK lagged behind. He helped Kari to her feet. The injury to her back was just a strain, and was bound to heal itself if not aggravated further. It was simply a nuisance to deal with for the time being.

As Kari got to her feet, TK turned towards the cabin, "I can't believe they're so trusting. Something is definitely wrong with this picture, and I can't help but fear the consequences."

He was met with two arms wrapped around his waist. He closed his eyes as she said, "But don't you see what happened tonight?" 

"What?"

Kari held him tighter. "Cody offered his room. That means he finally accepts… us."

TK placed his hands over Kari's. "Perhaps. That's some solace."

"Don't worry TK… believe me when I say this could turn into something wonderful."

"Let's hope so."

Takato was overjoyed to hear the news. He had hoped for a little help from the Chosen. Instead, he was being granted shelter, a home, and a family to share it with. Guilmon was still important, but Takato now had the essentials guaranteed. The only obligation was fair enough- he would essentially become one of the household, expected to do his share of chores and help them protect the Digital World when necessary. Takato was more than willing to take the responsibility. 

"Well, it's getting late. I'd love to chat, but it's getting late. See you tomorrow," Matt said as he left the cabin. 

Sora smiled and rubbed Takato's shoulder, "Yeah. Good night." She followed Matt out the door and to the other cabin.

"Where am I staying?" Takato asked Joe.

"Cody volunteered to let you stay in his room," Joe replied before yawning, "Good thing too. I've heard I snore. Oh well, g'night." Joe entered one of the bedrooms before Cody exited the bathroom in nightclothes.

"If you don't have a toothbrush we can try to find you something in a few days. You'll have to get by without for now."

"Actually, I brought one," Takato smiled. At least he packed wisely.

Cody nodded. "Good. Well, you know where the room is."

"Wait- which bed?"

Cody took a second to think, "Well, there's two beds… so I guess the one I'm not in."

Takato gave a light laugh as he went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. It was an everyday activity, but somehow it felt different this time. It was a process not to be taken for granted. For the first time, someone had made a point of providing him a bed and a bathroom. He washed up, changed, and went into his new bedroom. Cody was already lying peacefully in one bed, so Takato jumped into the other. "Thanks for letting me stay," 

"You're very welcome. You know, I'm surprised some of the others were as hesitant as they were."

"Really?"

Cody stared up at the ceiling, "There are so few humans in this world. The ones that are here have to take care of each other. I don't understand why some of them see things differently." He shook his head and continued, "Why question your motives? Why waste time wondering how you got here? None of those things matter. The important thing is that you're here. That's the only thing I need to know."

"You don't need to know who I am?" 

Cody turned towards Takato, "Heck… I don't even know who I am." He reached for the light, "Good night."

Cody switched the light off, officially ending Takato's first day in the Digital World.  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Four- Prison"**

**Author's Notes  
**And now the mind fuck has officially begun. Obviously, if you haven't figured it out already, very little of this fic is clear-cut. There's some weird stuff here, and much of it will confuse you until you learn the truth. Believe it or not, there is a rational explanation for just about all of this, but you may have to wait until Level 2, and perhaps even Level 3, to get them.   
  
You will find out what a "Gatekeeper" is later on (Level 2 at the latest). It is not a reference to one of my previous fics, but rather the most accurate and sensible term to describe what they do.  
  
TK believing that his and Matt's name derived from an anime is somewhat true if you look at things in a very twisted perspective. There was indeed an anime called Yamato Takeru a few years back. It was loosely based on the ancient legend of the hero Takeru. One of his more famous deeds was defeating a monster known as the Orochi by getting it drunk… which has been ripped off in so many animes that it isn't funny.  
  
TK refers to 1984 through his use of "newspeak" which is a futuristic language Orwell uses for the novel. The Ministry of Truth was the branch of government concerned with literature and the media. In "oldspeak," TK basically said that the government used the anime to convince everybody that the digi-destined never existed.  
  
Many of the other elements discussed related to the fourth season; if you have seen it, you understand, but if you haven't, you probably won't miss much.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Three of The Connection.


	4. Prison

**_Level 1: Worlds_****  
**  
_RKngel__: Hey, what are you still doing up?  
Rena__やガみ: Oh! Haven't talked to you in awhile.  
RKngel: Time zones are a bitch.   
Rena__やガみ: :)  
RKngel: So what time is it over there?  
Rena__やガみ: 5  
RKngel: 5 in the morning? Can't sleep?  
Rena__やガみ: i guess you could say that.  
RKngel: What are you doing?  
RKngel: Well?  
Rena__やガみ: Web stuff.  
Rena__やガみ: You know… typical insoniac stuff.  
RKngel: You haven't been doing what I think you've been doing…  
RKngel: Have you?  
Rena__やガみ: …  
RKngel: You have, haven't you? You know that's risky.   
RKngel: The more you watch them, the more likely they are to find out.  
RKngel: Besides, it's not healthy to be attached like that.   
RKngel: You've been staring at him now more than you did when he was alive.  
Rena__やガみ: I can't help it. It was just so cruel. It doesn't matter how much of an ass he was.  
Rena__やガみ: He didn't deserve it. None of them did.  
RKngel: I agree… you know I agree.  
RKngel: So… anything good going on down there? ;-)  
Rena__やガみ: lol  
Rena__やガみ: Well… you'll never believe this…  
Rena__やガみ: Matsuki's with them.  
RKngel: Matsuki?!  
Rena__やガみ: I don't think anybody else knows but me. I think that goes for the MAXIS too.  
RKngel: Shit… how the hell did that happen?  
Rena__やガみ: Beats me. Looks like he's fit in pretty good. Don't know how long he's been there.  
RKngel: Just make sure you don't tell anybody.   
RKngel: This is big. This is very big…_  
  
**Stage Four- Prison  
  
**The plan was for the six Chosen and Takato to scale the ridge nearby. But a delicate situation in the northern regions forced TK, Joe, and Cody to join Gomamon and ensure that nothing turned violent. Therefore, Takato, Matt, Sora, and Kari made the trip alone. Biyomon accompanied them; it was standard policy to have one Digimon on the trip in case anything happened.

"Are you okay Kari?" Sora asked. Kari's injury wasn't severe enough to prevent her from making the trek, but it was aggravating nonetheless. 

"Yeah. Sorry I'm slowing you all down."

"Half of it's my fault anyway. Besides… this way we can enjoy the scenery." Matt looked around. It was a pretty easy hike up the ridge, but even halfway up the view was remarkable.

Takato was also enjoying the view. Matt had explained to him that the hike was something of a formal initiation. Takato wasn't so much concerned with that, because the sight of the Digital World was unfolding. He could see everything for miles- from the plains and forests below him, to the mountains and ocean off in the horizon. It was beautiful. It was perfect.

When they reached the top, it was clear to Takato that the three Chosen were also admiring the scenery. 

"Matt, we really need to go up here more often," Sora said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

"We just haven't had a reason to in the last few years," replied Matt.

"With a view like this, who needs a reason?" Kari added.

Takato turned to the three. "So what are we supposed to do up here?"

"We are supposed to show you how big this world is." Matt guided his hand across the horizon. "You see all that? That's not a fraction of the world. And yet- it's all ours."

"Ours?"

Matt nodded, "As the only people in the Digital World, we have to help protect it. Through any means necessary. It's a big responsibility. It's not always an easy life. It's not always a fun life. But it's our life. And it's your life now."

Takato continued to observe the world around him. "I don't see how this couldn't be fun. I mean, we don't have to worry about the problems of the real world. There's no school, no money…" Takato paused for a minute, before concluding his statement, "No Jeri."

Matt continued Takato's statement, "No luxury, no security… no family." He paused. Clearly it was still difficult for him to take. "It's a tradeoff. A big one. You gave up a lot Takato. Most of it you probably took for granted."

Biyomon jumped into the conversation, reprimanding Matt, "Don't scare him, Matt." Sora's Digimon partner turned to Takato. "Takato, sure there's a lot of scary stuff out there, but it's nothing we won't be able to handle if you stick with us."

Matt scratched his chin. "Still… we'd better hook you up with your old partner before too long. It would be nice to have an extra 'mon around the house." Matt looked down at Takato, "Am I assuming too much in thinking you had a Digimon partner?"

Takato smiled. "Nope. Actually, I was hoping you'd help me find Guilmon."

Matt turned back toward the scenery. "Guilmon, huh? I've never heard of that one."

Takato squirmed. He was afraid that he'd weird them out even more, but sucked it up and began the explanation, "You see… Guilmon…"

"Of course, I never really followed along with the new species that are discovered." Matt interrupted Takato, offering his own conclusion without hearing the truth, "So do you remember your synch level?"

"My… synch level?" 

Matt smiled. "I guess not. That's alright. I think the whole thing's pretty stupid myself."

"What's a synch level?" Takato was now the one that was confused.

"Supposedly it's a measurement of your bond with your Digimon partner. I don't know how they generate these results, but I personally never thought they worked right."

Sora couldn't help but laugh. "That's because Tai's was always higher than yours."

"Fuck Tai, yours is higher than mine!" Sora and Kari immediately burst out into laughter. Matt feigned anger, "Gabumon and I go on a solo trip to Mars, but supposedly I haven't spent enough time with him!!" Now Matt himself couldn't contain it.

Takato was the only one not laughing. The conversation had suddenly sparked his curiosity. 

"Hey, I was wondering about that." Takato turned to Matt. "How did you become an astronaut anyway?" The laughter continued.

Finally, Matt controlled himself and gave Takato an answer, "Actually, it was all because of Kari." Matt looked over Takato's head. Kari smiled brightly, nodding in acknowledgement. Matt continued, "It's a long story."

"Please… I'm really curious." 

Matt took a breath, and began, "Okay, this is probably before you can remember, but one of the biggest drawbacks to having both worlds connected was the treatment of Digimon in the real world. Basically, they were the largest and most underrepresented minority group on Earth. Some people didn't view Digimon too kindly, so Kari decided that the best way to get a positive light shown on Digimon was to manufacture some sort of achievement for them."

Kari stepped in to continue the story, "My husband found out that NASA in America was looking for ways to put a man on Mars, and that they were interested in incorporating the Digital World into their studies. We pulled some strings, and they agreed that if a flight were to ever be attempted, they'd have a Chosen and his partner go along."

The cheeky smile came across Matt's face. "Guess who they picked."

Takato smiled before Kari interrupted, "Actually, Steve ran through all the American Chosen first. They all said no. But you were the first Japanese Chosen we talked to!" 

Matt brushed off the comment, "Anyway, they devised a way to keep a gate to the Digital World open from the spacecraft. That way, Gabumon and I could pop in here every once in awhile to recoup."

Kari laughed, "It was strange. NASA said it was the first space flight where the astronaut was able to sign autographs while he was on the mission!"

Takato was still smiling at the story. At least until he saw Sora and Biyomon, both staring off in another direction, distancing themselves from the conversation.

"They were originally going to test it out with the Moon, but we said no way. Gabumon and I weren't in this to do something that's already been done before."

"You can imagine the reaction when the first creatures to step on the Martian surface were a Digimon and a Japanese-American," Kari was almost shedding tears of joy, as if it was her crowning achievement.

"American?" Takato asked.

Matt rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. For my training, I had to move to Houston." He sounded a little ashamed of himself.

"What's wrong with that?" Takato glanced back at Sora and Biyomon. They were talking quietly. Takato couldn't hear them, but their expressions were unusual. While Kari and Matt were clearly enjoying the story, Sora and Biyomon looked melancholy. 

Biyomon noticed Takato and flew over towards him. "We'll start looking for Guilmon as soon as we get back."

Even Takato was suspicious about the abrupt change in conversation, but he responded politely, "Oh. Thank you. I'll show you what he looks like when we get there."

Matt waved his hand. "No need. We have the database. If he's in there, we should be able to find him in no time. We'll probably have him in a week."

Sora returned to the conversation, raising an eyebrow. Apparently, she had just thought of something. "Takato, why the interest in Matt being an astronaut? I know fashion design and teaching aren't as sexy as going into space, but…" She sounded somewhat scornful.

Takato interrupted, "Oh, sorry if I offended you. It's just that… well in the TV series, they showed what everybody was doing in the end. I guess we all thought Matt being an astronaut came out of nowhere."

Matt laughed, "Well, now you know- it did come out of nowhere! But you should have expected that. I mean, when I was that age, I didn't have any plans for the future. I could have been anything!" 

"I don't know," Takato shrugged, "You could have been a rock star."

Kari and Matt started laughing as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. Even Sora joined in after a few moments.

"What? Weren't you in a band?" 

Matt finally got himself together. "Yeah… but… kid… we were awful!"

Kari wiped a tear. "It was just Matt and some friends in a garage. The whole thing was a joke!" 

"If our concert didn't get interrupted, TK probably wouldn't have even mentioned it!" 

"Yeah, wasn't your concert on TV? Your band couldn't have been that bad if it had a televised concert," Takato said.

Matt's reply was simple. "Things work differently when you have a dad who works at the TV station."

Takato looked back at the women. They were still laughing.

"Did that show you were telling us about make it sound like he was good or something?" Sora asked.

Takato was suddenly distanced again. He felt like they were laughing at him. "Well… yeah. It sounded like he wanted to be a rock star or something."

"Of course I wanted to be a rock star," Matt said, "Who doesn't?" Takato was perplexed, so Matt continued, "Everybody wants to be a rock star or a movie star or a TV star. Everyone wants to be rich. Everyone wants to be famous. You can encourage people as much as you want but most people just don't have the talent for it. Way I see it, if everybody had the talent to be rock stars, there wouldn't be rock stars. Me and the guys dreamt of it all the time, but really we all knew that we didn't have a chance in hell."

Takato finally gave up, "It's strange. The series made it sound like you were pretty popular. Why would they lie like that?" 

Matt ran his hands through his hair and smiled. "Well, I'm one of the heroes of the series. Why would they want to say I was failing with something? We had a couple fans, but they and we knew that it was all just for fun. None of us gave serious thought to making a career out of it, that's for sure."

Kari put a hand on Takato's shoulder. "I guess that when they took TK's book, they also took a little creative license with it. That epilogue TK wrote is also probably a little confusing, since it didn't say how we ended up doing what we did. But our lives now aren't important to the story. The story was what we did when we were children. That's what you have to think about."

"Well, why don't we head back?" Sora suggested, "Hopefully Joe has an update for us."

Matt walked ahead and joined Sora and Biyomon. "Good call. This isn't really fun without the other guys." 

As Sora, Matt, and Biyomon led the way, Takato leaned over towards Kari, who was still nursing her back, treading carefully. "Kari? I noticed that Sora didn't look too happy about the whole astronaut story."

Kari frowned. "She um… didn't really like the whole idea. I mean Matt was sold immediately, but Sora… she thought it was too much of an abrupt change. Not to mention the risk of it all. Space travel isn't exactly routine."

"But she came around eventually, right?"

Kari shook her head. "When Matt moved to Houston… Sora didn't." Takato's mouth fell open. Kari continued, "It's a good thing they didn't have kids yet. Furthermore, Sora was angry at me for bringing up the whole idea." She looked down. "She didn't speak to me for almost two years." Kari now had to fight tears again, but this time they were hardly joyous. "It wasn't a good time for the Chosen."

"But everything ended up okay, right?" Takato needed to hear something encouraging after hearing the dark side to Matt's story.

Kari nodded. "Yes. It did. That's something I've always believed in. No matter what happens, eventually, everything will be corrected."

Satisfied, Takato started to pick up his pace. Kari stood there and watched him. She still could sense something about him. Something out of the ordinary.

"Eventually…"

_----October, 20X4----  
_Janyuu was trying not to scream at the telephone. "Yamaki- you're breaking their hearts. Those Digimon are a part of them. You can't just ask them to sever ties completely."

Henry and Suzy were both crouched by the doorway, listening in on the conversation. Their father was their last hope in seeing their partners again. 

"I understand that," he answered, "I understand that it would be a logistics nightmare to bring them back. I'm not arguing that. But there has to be a way."

As Janyuu listened to Yamaki's explanation, he turned towards his children. Both were watching with anxious eyes. 

He sighed and lifted the receiver to his mouth. "Then I'll do it."

Henry stood. "Dad? Do what?" 

Janyuu ignored his son, "I'm willing to take the risk. I feel partially responsible for this anyway."

"Daddy?" Suzy stood as well.

"Maybe, but if we can pull this off, there may be some hope."

Another pause. This one seemed to last forever.

"Thank you. All I ask for is a chance to see if we can do it."

He set the phone down. Henry and Suzy ran up to him, but stopped before saying anything.

Janyuu turned towards his children. "Henry? Suzy? I'm going after them."

"But Dad- I thought they said it wasn't safe. They said it wasn't possible!" Henry's concern for his father was battling his desire to see Terriermon again.

"When you guys left last time we thought it wasn't safe. We didn't think it was possible either. But if there's the slight chance of getting them back, even for a short while… we have to try."

Suzy said nothing. She ran forward and hugged her father, crying. 

Henry exhaled. "Good luck, Dad." 

It was something of a makeshift gate. Nobody at Hypnos could honestly say if it could successfully send somebody into the Digital World. They weren't even willing to guess if it could bring them back. But Janyuu was determined to try.

His wife didn't attempt to talk him out of it. He was set on the idea. 

His whole family was in the room. All five were nervous. Janyuu spoke to each one privately, hoping to keep them calm while the procedure was taking place. Doing so was difficult, especially with Yamaki, Riley, and Tally making last-minute status checks behind the Wong family.

Takato and Rika stood nearby. They didn't want to disrupt the family as Janyuu talked to them, but they insisted on being present.

Janyuu reached Henry and shook his head. "I don't know how you were able to stay together when you told us you were leaving."

Henry shook his head as well. "I don't know how you were able to stay together when I told you I was leaving."

"Janyuu." Yamaki remained grim. He was obeying Janyuu's wishes, but remained unsure of it all. "We're ready."

After a quick hug, Janyuu approached the platform. The hope was to establish a portal on the surface of one of the digital plains. It was the only way the process could happen, since they no longer had access to the ark.

"Coordinates entered and locked on," Tally shouted from her seat at the controls.

"Digital gate opened and ready. Tracking device installed and on standby." Riley nodded towards Yamaki.

"Janyuu. Whenever you're ready."

Janyuu took another glance towards his family and stepped through. He became increasingly pixilated, and one by one the pixels vanished. Janyuu was gone.

Yamaki stepped towards the communications unit. "Janyuu. Come in Janyuu."

The on-lookers remained nervous. This was the first crucial stage. 

"Janyuu!" Yamaki shouted again.

For a full minute, the room was in dead silence.

"He should be responding by now…" Tally said.

"Riley! Is the tracker working?"

"It should be picking up his signal, but it isn't reading anything!" she shouted.

"I'll scan the coordinates." Tally began typing away.

Meanwhile, the hopes and prayers held by the family were starting to diminish.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Jaarin asked.

"Where's Daddy?" Suzy was starting to get worried.

"I'm getting absolutely nothing. Tally?" Riley turned to her co-worker.

"Nothing but meaningless artifacts." Tally turned to Yamaki. "We lost him."

"Keep looking for him. Maybe he just ended up at the wrong spot," Yamaki commanded.

Tally obeyed, but shook her head. She knew exactly where the coordinates should have taken him.

Takato and Rika were left in stunned silence. They glanced at Henry. 

"Dad…" was all he could say.  
_--------_

_----April, 20X7----  
_"Dad… Dad…" Henry mumbled. It had been more than two years, and the family had moved on. They spent that night at Hypnos, watching as Riley and Tally did what they could to find Janyuu. Ultimately, any search came up empty; and they sadly called the effort off a week later. Janyuu was legally pronounced dead before the end of the month.

"Dad… Dad…" Every once in awhile, Henry relived the incident in his sleep. It was all so sudden. Even more sudden was when Hypnos abandoned their facility three months later. 

"HENRY!!" He was jolted out of his dream by Suzy. She was smiling brightly. Like everybody in the family, she went through a grieving period, but ultimately recovered.

"Suzy…" Henry rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing in my…" Henry looked around. They weren't in his room. He was lying on the couch in the living room. It was the middle of the afternoon.

"You got a letter!" Suzy handed Henry the envelope and ran into the kitchen. Henry stretched for a moment and sat up before opening it. A key fell out onto his lap. He picked it up and set it off to the side. The envelope contained a few small schematic drawings as well, but Henry first skimmed the letter. One word jumped out at him-

Takato.

Takato Matsuki disappeared without a trace a year ago. Henry and Rika had long since given up any hope of finding him. By now, everybody was trying to get over it and get their lives back together. 

Henry checked the bottom of the page. Could the letter possibly be from Takato? He looked for the signature.

There was none.

After reading the letter closely, he ran to the phone and dialed a number. 

"Hi, this is Rumiko Nonaka and company! We're off doing whatever it is we do best so leave a message and we'll get back to you!" It was the energetic, and prerecorded, voice of Rika's mother.

Henry left his message, "Rika, this is Henry. Call me back as soon as you can. We may know where Takato is."

"He hatches into a Patamon??" Takato looked up from his book and turned to TK, who had started laughing. "I can tell you wrote this."

"Hey, he's a recycled form of Seraphimon, so I didn't have that many choices," TK defended his decision, adding, "If you noticed, I also put some of the others' Digimon in there. I was fair with my cheap cameos!" 

"You forgot to put me in there though!" TK turned around and smiled at the blue Digimon that was shouting at him.

"Hey Veemon! Here for a check?" 

"Yep!" Veemon walked over to Takato. "So where's Joe?" 

"Joe had to take care of something with the girls. He should be back pretty soon," Takato answered. 

It was just another routine day. Takato and TK were both relaxing by the cabins, reading their book of choice. TK was forever grateful for Kari's initiatives in promoting reading in the Digital World, prompting the creation of a large library in a nearby city. Takato was finally getting into Digital Frontier, TK's most successful work of fiction. TK, meanwhile, was enjoying a historical novel- a coming-of-age story using the Siberian War as a backdrop. It was somewhat ironic, since the recent Siberian War was a primary inspiration for TK when he wrote Digital Frontier. 

Takato and Veemon had grown accustomed to each other. After Matt and Joe were unable to locate Guilmon, it was decided that Takato still needed a Digimon in case of emergencies. Although Takato was reluctant to accept the offer, Veemon was gung-ho about it. Veemon was one of those Digimon that simply liked being around humans. With Davis in the real world, Veemon was starting to miss the adventures he had with his partner. Takato was an opportunity to start anew. It didn't take long for Takato to warm up to the idea.

TK stood up. "Well, I bet Matt and Cody could probably do it. I don't want to keep you guys waiting."

"It's no problem." Takato dog-eared the page he was on and set the book down. "We can just goof off until Joe comes back."

"Nah. I don't know how long he'll be. Besides, that might alter the stats a bit." TK popped his head inside the door of the first cabin. "Matt! Joe wanted to do a synch check on TK and Veemon today. Do you and Cody want to do it?"

Matt walked outside and handed a broom to TK. "Sure, anything to get out of cleaning." Before TK could counter, Matt walked to the second cabin to get Cody.

"I guess my break's over," TK muttered.

"I'll help you when I'm done," Takato replied.

TK smiled. His initial suspicion had never truly subsided, but Takato turned out to be so friendly that TK forced himself to accept the newcomer. It wasn't that Takato was any less suspicious. In fact, given the inability to locate Takato's partner, his reluctance to discuss his adventures in the real world, and the nagging issue about his name, he was even more mysterious. But in spite of it all, Takato's naivety and positive attitude were enough for TK to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Let's see here… I've never done this before with non-partners." Matt stared at the small device on the table. The countless outlets and ports were intimidating. 

Cody attached a wire to Takato's forehead. He was the only one whose forehead Cody could reach. "It shouldn't be all that different. I watched Joe do it… once."

"It doesn't have to be set differently to work?" 

Before he could attach another wire to Veemon, Cody turned to Matt. "I don't think so. Just connect the receiver into the parallel port and plug the stupid thing in."

Matt pointed at the device, "This is the parallel port, right?" 

"Yes," Cody replied, somewhat annoyed at Matt's apparent incompetence. "You know there are times when you make me fear for the future of the space program."

Finally, Matt plugged it in and went over to a nearby computer. "Well, fear no longer because it works. I'm already getting a…" Matt paused and looked back at Cody. The boy was still holding the wire.

"What?"

Matt looked back. The computer was registering a synch level between Takato and Cody. That wasn't supposed to happen. 

"Never mind," Matt dismissed it and started to input data into the system while Cody clipped the other end of the wire to Veemon's right ear.

"Ready Matt," Cody announced, walking over to the console.

"Okay… hopefully this is what Joe wants." Matt pressed a button and the computer recorded data collected from Takato and Veemon. 

"Hey Cody, has Joe been collecting extreme values?" 

Cody nodded. The current test was a median test- taken when there was no undue influence affecting the relationship between Takato and Veemon. But extreme values- collected during high and low moments in their relationship, were also important. Usually, the first digivolution occurred during a peak, typically when one or the other was in physical danger. But since Takato and Veemon weren't partners, the Chosen knew that if digivolution was even possible, it wouldn't be realistic for another year or so. 

The computer finished loading and began to print out page after page of diagnostics. Matt took the top page from the printer. Joe was the only one who bothered looking at the complicated details of the test. 

Matt raised an eyebrow. "How'd I do?" Takato asked.

Cody snuck around and glanced at the page. He too was surprised.

"88. Wow," said Cody.

"Is that good?" Takato asked.

Matt looked over at Takato and Veemon, both removing their wires. "For you two, that's great."

Cody continued to muse at the data, "An 88 between non-partners? That's incredible."

"Well, what was I at with Davis?" Veemon asked.

"317. Highest in the world, if I remember," Matt said as Veemon smiled proudly.

They unhooked everything and everybody and exited the researching building. "So how long before I can make him digivolve?" Takato asked.

"Well… assuming it's possible, you need a median of 100 to make him digivolve at will," Matt answered, "You're doing really good Takato, but it's still going to be a while. I also wouldn't count on a sudden spike to do the trick. That only works between partners."

"Yeah- so please don't try to piss off any rampaging C-Levels like Davis did," Veemon said.

"Hey!" Takato abruptly changed the subject by pointing away from the camp, "I think I see them."

Matt took two steps towards Sora, then stopped and clutched his nose. She approached him, covered in a putrid combination of sewage and slime.

"I hate Raremon," she muttered.

"Problems?" Matt asked, although he could probably guess the answer.

Sora shook her head. "Let's just say that this mess wasn't the worst part." Sora eyed Matt. "They're at it again."

"You mean?" Sora nodded. Matt sighed. "Aw shit." 

She forced a smile. "Well have fun! I'm going down to the river. The shower's not going to be enough today." Sora went into her cabin to retrieve clean clothes and a towel. She hustled out and left before the other two could arrive.

TK exited the cabin and turned to Matt. "What happened to Sora?"

"Batten down the hatches TK- she says Joe and Kari have begun the annual Dragoism debate."

"So- do you want to break them up… or should I?"

Takato tugged on Matt's shirt, "What's the Dragoism debate?"

"You'll find out soon enough- then you'll never want to hear about it again." Matt and Cody led Takato to the campfire. "Just pretend to be busy. Read your book." Takato followed Matt's direction and begun to read. He hadn't finished two lines when two very loud and very angry voices filled the area. 

"Kari, you're the one that keeps saying we should try to find alternatives to killing!" 

"It attacked Sora, what are we supposed to do- let it get the rest of us?!"

"Look, we need to research these corruptions, and we're not going to do it by scattering their data halfway to File Island!!" 

The two had officially entered the camp, and their voices had grown twice as loud. 

Kari seemed more livid than Joe. "Joe- why do you keep defending evil?"

"There you go again! You always say I'm defending evil! It's a matter of balance. I don't like it any more than you do, but *darkness* has a purpose in the world." Joe stressed the word darkness, in his view the more proper term.

"Darkness is evil, and evil is evil!" Kari reiterated.

"What are they talking about?" Takato whispered to TK. 

TK didn't answer. Instead, he ran into the cabin without being thrown into the conversation.

Joe continued to stand up for himself, "If there was no darkness, there would be no light. I've told you this a million times. Of all people I think you'd understand that! If darkness was eliminated, you would be too."

"Fine by me!!" 

Matt cracked a smile at Kari's reply, "Ooh. I don't think she's used that one before."

"When powers of darkness are destroying everything you care about, do you think anybody cares about balance? You weren't there, Joe!" 

Joe suddenly turned aggressive. "Oh don't start that! You mention June 9th and I swear I am going to…"

At that point, Matt stepped in. He was willing to let them vent their aggressions, but as soon as physical threats were made, he was forced to draw the line. "Okay, okay, don't get too crazy about this. Both of you go to your room and try to calm down." Matt knew he was treating them like children, but for the time being they fit the part.

Kari entered her cabin as TK walked out with a book, ignoring her. After Kari was out of earshot, he turned to Matt, "So who won?"

"I think Kari won this round. They're almost even now."

"Should we go talk to them or something?" Takato asked.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. They do this every once in awhile. Something happens while they're out and they get pissed at each other. Usually, they just don't speak to each other for a couple days, but they get over it eventually. They'll be fine."

TK walked over to Takato, flipping to a page at the back of the book as he did so. He found what he was looking for and handed the book to Takato, pointing at a page.

"Takato- read this line."

Takato leant forward and read, "Let's see… 'The darkness has not been conquered and will continue to fight against the light forever.'" He looked up at TK. "So what?"

TK slammed the book shut, "That one line sparked a huge debate that spanned the globe. That's part of my epilogue for Chronicles and it seems to be the only part anyone remembers from the whole book. Basically, a lot of people interpreted that line to mean that the forces of darkness- Daemon and Dragomon, must remain present in order for the worlds to be in balance. These people, and Joe seems to be one of them, believed that to destroy Daemon would be to destroy the balance of the universe. The belief came to be known as Dragoism."

Takato was still confused, "How can you destroy Daemon? Didn't you seal him in the Dark Ocean?" Immediately, he retracted his comment, "Sorry, I haven't seen the series in awhile."

TK opened the book and thumbed through it, "That's okay, I haven't written this in awhile." He planted his finger on a page, "Yep. First time it was the Dark Ocean." TK shut the book and turned to Takato, "The next two times… however…"

"You mean, he came back?" 

"Like the line says- 'the darkness will continue to fight against the light.' About every twelve years, Daemon opens a rift to the Digital World and tries to start all over again. And the people of Earth, as digi-destined, have to fight him. Both times, however, we couldn't defeat him. We had to seal him away again."

"But if you just keep sealing him away, he'll just keep coming back. When was the last time he attacked?" 

Matt answered, "It would be about ten years ago. And the next time he attacks, us seven will have to work together to stop him… including you Takato."

"Strangely enough…" TK observed, "When he stares into your eyes, and you know that his thoughts center around your annihilation… any debate about how he should be stopped is lost in the darkness he brings."

"You're late," Henry said as Rika arrived at the base of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. He checked his watch. "Didn't we say after school?"

Rika scowled, "What? You think I'm coming here in that geeky uniform? Let's get this over with."

The two walked into the building. They rarely had reason to come anymore after Janyuu was lost and Hypnos abandoned. It was just another place of business to them. Besides the occasional need to talk to a city official, or a bad excuse for a field trip, neither Henry nor Rika visited. 

Fortunately, they were the only two in the elevator, meaning they could carry on a discussion about the letter. "So do you really think he found a way in?" Rika asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"Well, it was one of our theories. Whoever sent this letter seems to think it's likely."

"Stupid Takato. Running away from his problems…"

"It's not the why he did it that bothers me. What gets me is how he did it."

Rika replied harshly, "I don't care how he did it. There's bound to be a way to get in there. It's just that he wasn't willing to fight for Jeri. He just gave up and let Terry have her."

Henry looked down. He had no argument for it. The elevator fell silent for a minute as a man entered, then left a few floors later.

Rika was suddenly solemn. "I still can't believe he dumped her."

Henry sighed. He too was feeling Jeri's pain after the recent breakup. "I know. That's awful. She gave up so much to be with Terry, whether she wanted to or not. And in the end, he just leaves her."

Both Henry and Rika did what they could to console Jeri. It had been a week, but Jeri was still continually depressed. Every once in awhile, Henry bumped into Terry on the job. Terry told Henry that it was clear that Jeri's heart was still beating for one person. And Terry knew that it wasn't him. He had eventually decided that he couldn't continue a relationship like that. To Henry, that was the worst part of it all- Terry's reasoning was almost understandable.

Rika pounded the elevator wall. "Why are all men evil?" 

Henry frowned. "Thank you, may I have another?" 

Rika turned around and walked up to Henry. "I don't mean you." She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "In my book, you're not a man."

For some reason, Henry wasn't appeased. "I didn't mean that literally."

They finally reached their floor and headed to the appropriate door. Henry pulled out the envelope, and the key inside. He inserted the key into the lock, and the door swung open. It was pitch black until Rika flipped on a nearby switch. Not only did the lights come on, but the whole room seemed to buzz to life.

Henry closed the door behind him, "We have to give it a little while to warm up. It's been in sleep mode for awhile." He looked down to the several pages of schematics.

Rika noticed the detail on the pages. "Whoever sent this to you must know what they're talking about. What's on the envelope?"

"Nothing." Henry kept the important pages for himself and handed the top page and the envelope to Rika. "No signature. No return address."

As Henry continued to look through the schematics and instructions, Rika made the startling discovery.

"Henry… not only isn't there a signature or an address… there's no postage."

He turned around, "What?" He ran up to her as she showed him the envelope. Sure enough, both the upper left and upper right corners were completely unmarked.

"That means that… this wasn't mailed. This was hand-delivered."

"Who gave it to you?"

"Suzy… I think it got thrown into our mailbox. Weird." 

Henry eventually shelved the thought and got back to work. "Anyway, we need to find a data file archive. The letter says that they have a database of files for everybody who has been in the Digital World. Sounds like it's in a drawer somewhere."

"Over there." Rika walked and pointed at the same time. It was a simple green file cabinet, conspicuous among the high-tech wizardry that made the Hypnos system. She opened it and saw a series of labeled cartridges, ordered by last name. "Yep- there's names here. I see Shioda, Kazu right here." She began thumbing through them, trying to find Matsuki, Takato. While doing so, she continued to make conversation, "Hey- does the letter say anything about your dad?" 

"That's another thing I noticed," Henry still eyed the mysterious documents, "There's nothing about Dad… or Ryo for that matter."

"Found him." Rika pulled out Takato's cartridge, stuck in-between Kenta's and her own.

"Great." Henry took it and went over to a large console- the same one where Riley and Tally sat on that fateful night two years ago. He found the place to insert the cartridge and went to work.

The instructions were well-explained. Henry, who already had plenty of experience around computers, had no trouble with it. The basis was simple- by bringing up a frame of all the data in a particular area, and then using provided filters to scan out unwanted formats, Henry could search the world for the data that matched the information on Takato's cartridge.

Rika paced around, well behind Henry. She was nervous. "Maybe it's Yamaki or Riley," she finally said to him.

Henry took a moment to finish entering the filter to hide the Digimon themselves. He turned around. "You know, that was what I was thinking at first. But if it was one of them, why would they keep themselves hidden? Especially if they dropped the letter in my mailbox personally."

Rika had no answer, so she resumed her pacing while Henry resumed his work. Rika was silently dreading the results. She was not about to forgive Takato for running away. But to go to the Digital World? A place with so few material worries. A place where the only concern was in keeping yourself alive, a concern pretty much ignored in the real world. As much as she would hate Takato if he really threw everything away and went there, she also cursed him for doing it before she had the chance.

Henry stared at the screen. He found a match. 

He sighed. "Found him. He's in there, and he's alive." It was now officially confirmed. 

Henry was relieved. It was another painful chapter of his life that he could now close. He would tell everybody. Perhaps it would make them feel better knowing that he was still alive- and doing well to the best of Henry's knowledge. 

As he turned around, he saw Rika hurling a chair across the room and storming after it. She was dealing with the news in her own style. Henry decided that it was best not to disturb her. He returned to the monitor. 

"That's strange… looks like there's other humans around him," Henry thought aloud, "Maybe I don't have all the filters off." 

He wouldn't have been surprised if Takato had found a couple other stray humans in the world. One of them may have been Janyuu. But Henry counted six others in Takato's vicinity, with two more elsewhere in the world. After turning on some additional filters, only one of the mysterious bits of data vanished; that was with a filter to remove something called Hybrids, which Henry knew nothing about. 

"Perhaps…" Henry thought. It was very reasonable. There was nothing in the letter, but maybe it was automatically implied. "Rika!" he shouted, "Get the files for Ryo and my dad."

No response. 

Henry turned around. After her burst of anger, she was now leaning against a railing. Something was obviously wrong- Rika was crying.

He slowly walked up to her. Perhaps the news wasn't relieving to everybody. "Are you okay?" 

Rika looked up. "I'm going after him," she announced as she marched towards the console. She had had it with this world. If Takato was going to leave, she was either going after him or joining him.

"No you're not!" She was persistent; Henry had to physically restrain her from doing anything drastic. "It's too late. I don't know how to open a gate. He's probably happy where he is."

Still shedding tears, she relented as her head collapsed onto his shoulder. "Then that's where I want to be."

Henry was naturally uncomfortable, but she appeared awfully unstable. He needed to help his friend, so he kept his arms around her. 

"It's okay," he whispered, "I know it's hard. But I can't let you do anything stupid."

"I don't care anymore. It's so easy. Just me and Renamon and nobody else…"

"I'm sorry, Rika. But I've lost enough loved ones already. I don't need any more."

She stepped back for a moment. After drying a tear, she looked at Henry. "Loved ones?"

Henry remained focused, "You know what I mean. After Dad and Takato, I'm not losing you either."

"Oh." She calmed down. "For a second there I thought you were talking about…"

"No…" Henry answered before she could finish. He walked over to the cabinet. He found Ryo's file quickly enough, but continued to search for his father's. After searching the whole cabinet, he found nothing and gave up. Henry walked back to the console with Ryo's file. "It would be nice to have someone I could call a loved one… and mean it like that," he added.

"Me too," Rika replied.

The steel terminal was loud, and hardly pristine. Everything was metallic and rigid. Despite it all, there was a certain sense of beauty with it. But she wasn't here to admire the atmosphere.

She knew who she was looking for. Unfortunately, in such a big world, she wasn't sure exactly how to go about finding him. It was enough of a risk to be in the Digital World to begin with. She had first hand experience of the dangers lurking within. She spent too long waiting for a reunion, and to delay it any longer would be begging for trouble.

She had her digivice held out, but it wasn't responding. "Come on… do something," she said as she hit it a few times. After that did nothing, she pocketed it back in her green dress and continued walking along the train tracks.

Elsewhere at the terminal, he had detected her signal and was running to meet her. After so long, they were to be reunited after all. He ran to her, stopping only a few paces in front of the girl. 

He smiled. "It's been awhile. I was always wondering what I would say if you ever did come here. But the words just aren't coming right now." 

Izzy wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the girl. He began to tear up, "Mari… I never lost faith in you… I knew you'd find me eventually." He sniffled for a moment before kissing her on the forehead. 

"Like father… like daughter."  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Five- Sex"**

**Author's Notes  
**I'm sure the primal reaction to this stage's "mysterious italic intro" will be one of two things. The first is to skip it entirely, as they've only been messing with your head ever since Ryo, Tai, and Cody were reported as dead in stage two. The second of course will be to figure out who the conversation is between. I'll warn you that if you decode hiragana lettering, you may end up more messed up than normal.   
  
Readers familiar with the Japanese version will know that the term Chosen was changed to digi-destined for the American version. However, here, they are not used interchangeably, and both are used properly in the context of the future's outlook of the Digital World (such as the case is with other argot such as C-Level and synch level).  
  
Not only did I explore the whole astronaut thing, but I tried to put it in a new light. The little discrepancies between the series and reality will remain little- they got most of the facts right so I won't pull any serious surprises on you. But the rock star discussion is even more interesting, as although the epilogue is canon and accurate, Matt's talk about being a rock star is in almost direct conflict with the whole theme of the epilogue about not giving up on your dreams. Incidentally, like Mike Storch had to do in Grim Reality, TK also had to put a positive spin on some pretty sad events that occur in the future.  
  
Dragoism will not be a significant part of the series, but it does allow me to put in some conflict between the adult Chosen. It's also a chance to recognize Chiaki Konaka's lone contribution to the second season. He was the head screenwriter of Tamers and  Serial Experiments Lain, but he only wrote one episode in season two. The Japanese episode was called "Call of D(r)agomon," but American fans know it as "His Master's Voice."  
  
Now that Henry and Rika have received the news about Takato, their role in the story will be greatly reduced. Henry/Rika supporters can probably draw some romantic hints dropped in this stage, but since I'm trying to mess with your head, I go no further discussing it. It'll be up to you to decide what happens.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Four of The Connection


	5. Sex

**_Level 1: Worlds_****  
**  
_In 2007, DAAB received reports of investors attempting to buy land in the Digital World.__  
__Facing the threat of the Digital World being developed, DAAB acted quickly.__  
__Howard Fisher and DAAB worked to restrict access to the Digital World to a select few.  
Those select few included the original digi-destined, now known as "Chosen."  
_  
**Stage Five- Sex****  
  
**After the Digital World became increasingly "colonized" by the real world, one of the first things implemented was a transportation system. Since trains helped established the frontier that was the American West, many agreed that a railroad would be the optimal way to establish this new frontier. The trains ran on data, were operated by Digimon, and carried humans and Digimon through a network of rails built in the early twenty-first century. For a time, anybody on Earth could become a pioneer once more, and with partner Digimon at his or her side, ride the rails in search of new adventures.

Those days were long gone. Access to the Digital World was restricted and monitored, and the most pioneering the average person could do was an afternoon picnic. 

Eventually, the gate was sealed completely. But the trains still remained.

The train that carried Matt, Kari, Cody, and Takato to their newest adventure was referred to as Worm. The trains never had official names, until TK published his novel. In Digital Frontier, the trains were actually Digimon called Trailmon, and they all had names and personalities. TK based these Trailmon on the various classes of trains running through the Digital World, and those classes eventually were saddled with the names of their digipomorphic counterparts. 

Takato and Veemon were at a synch level of only 90. As a result, the Chosen were very hesitant about bringing him along, even if they could have used the pair. This was Takato's first foray into the front line. He felt a little like Takuya Kanbara, riding Worm to an unknown location- an adventure waiting just for him. 

It started with the occasional attack. Just a few random Digimon raising hell once in a while. It was usually nothing to be concerned about. But gradually the attacks grew more frequent. The Raremon that sparked the Dragoism debate between Joe and Kari was just the beginning. Almost every day, it seemed like something was happening. 

The network of Digimon monitoring the world kept the Chosen informed. For the next few weeks, the six Chosen were on the road frequently, taking care of each situation as it arose. But no connection could be made between the incidents- they were all in different locations, they were all involving different classes and types of Digimon, and they were all seemingly acting on their own volition. The lack of any black gears, dark rings, or the like made the puzzle more complex.

The only thing they knew was that data was being corrupted. The only question was how.

"Ogremon, huh? That doesn't sound too bad." Cody was talking to his partner on the wireless communicator they brought along. 

"Tell that to the village of Koromon living here!" Armadillomon replied, harshly.

"We've got Gabumon with us. And Gatomon's on standby. It's nothing we can't handle if things turn ugly."

"Good, because things are probably going to…" Armadillomon paused for a few seconds of deathly silence, before returning to Cody, "I have to get out of here. Tell Matt and Gabumon to be ready to go M just in case."

"M? What do you…?" Cody received no answer. 

"Did I just hear him say something about going M?" Matt said. He had been quietly doing some safety checks on the rifle they brought with them.

"I guess so. He disconnected before I could ask about it."

"That's strange. It's not like Armadillomon to say something that extreme." M meant Mega Level. If Armadillomon was suggesting that MetalGarurumon might be needed, it was probably more than just an Ogremon.

It had been a long time since Takato had any reason to wear the goggles. Today it just felt appropriate. No adventure was complete without the goggle-boy. He strapped them on as the train continued to roll toward the western edge of Server. 

Kari giggled, "Are you trying to imply something?" 

Takato looked up at her. It was still difficult imagining Kari as the young child of light from the series. It was even more difficult recalling that her brother was the original goggle-boy.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, the Odaiba Chosen had a tradition where the leader would wear goggles. My brother started the trend, and then Tai passed them on to Davis. Then Davis passed them on to his son, Kensuke." Kari pondered the thought for awhile. "But I guess we'll never see who wears them next."

"I suppose all of your children are starting to grow up."

"Adam is now twenty-one years old. And I'm sure Matt and Sora's kids are getting up there. Joe's son… Cody's daughter… for all we know Ken and Yolei could be grandparents by now." 

Her mind was clearly wandering into some depressing territory, so Takato stepped in. "I'm sure they're doing fine, Kari. After all, they had such amazing parents."

Kari forced back a few tears and smiled at him. 

"Those goggles look good on you."

"Pummel Whack!!" 

The foursome could already hear his attack, followed by screams, followed by an explosion.

"That didn't sound good," said Takato, stating the obvious.

"Cody!" Armadillomon ran up to his partner. "Let's spare the negotiations and get down to business."

"Hold on, Armadillomon, we don't want to be too rash," Cody replied.

"I don't think we have a choice," Matt said, "Our top priority is saving this village. We need to at least stop him from blowing everything up."

Cody sighed, then clutched his digivice. "Right. Let's go."

The Digimon began to glow white. "Armadillomon digivolve to…" He grew, finally reaching his C-Level form, "Ankylomon!" 

Takato remembered the process being a lot flashier in the series, but style didn't count when lives were on the line. They all rushed to the scene. The Koromon village was already in serious trouble. Ogremon had already trampled several structures.

"The first thing we have to do is get him away from the village!" Kari shouted.

"I can handle that!" Ankylomon shouted. He took aim, and launched. "Tail Hammer!"

It was a direct hit. Ogremon flew towards a nearby mountain. Ankylomon chased after him. 

Matt began barking orders. "Cody, stay with the battle. Takato, go with him. Kari and I will help out here." Takato didn't hesitate to follow Cody towards the mountain.

The battle was one-sided. Ankylomon had the upper hand immediately. As Cody's partner continued to force Ogremon into submission, Cody tried not to watch.

Takato forced the issue, "So what do we do with him?"

"I don't know," Cody replied as he shook his head, "We shouldn't kill him."

"Maybe if we knocked him out, we could take him home and study… nah, that's too risky." 

"Cody! We have to do something!" Ankylomon shouted. The Digimon had Ogremon up against a cliff. One more Tail Hammer was all that would be needed…

"Uh…" Cody hesitated.

"Fist of the Beast King!" 

Out of nowhere, a fireball knocked Ankylomon away. Ogremon fell to the ground.

"What the heck was that?!" Cody and Takato shouted simultaneously.

It was a Leomon, emerging from the shadows, and helping Ogremon to its feet. Ogremon shook off any pain, and both turned their attention towards Ankylomon.

"Oh no, I wasn't ready for two of them." Cody turned to Takato and shouted, "Get the others! We're going to need at least Garurumon over here. Hurry!"  

"Is he going to be okay?" Takato shouted back.

"He'll be fine for awhile, just hurry up!" 

Takato didn't hesitate any longer. He ran back to the village.

The evacuation process was going smoothly, and most of the survivors were literally heading for the hills. Takato found Kari in no time. 

"Kari! We've got a problem! Leomon showed up and Ankylomon's in trouble!" 

Clearly, Kari was concerned. "Oh no… where's Cody?" 

"He's still watching Ankylomon. We have to get Garurumon there to help out." 

"Right…" Kari turned around and shouted, "Matt! We have a situation!" 

Matt ran to them as soon as he heard her. "What is it?"

"Leomon. They're ganging up on Ankylomon."

"Then what are we doing here? Gabumon?" 

Matt didn't even have to look. His partner was right behind him. "Ready, Matt."

"Go for it."

"Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!" The process was practically instantaneous.

Matt hopped on Garurumon's back, and took a deep breath, "This was a lot easier when I was eleven," he huffed, before extending a hand to Kari. "Kari- hop on. Takato- get the rifle and meet us down there."

As Matt helped Kari board Garurumon, Takato ran to one of the huts. Fortunately, he remembered which one Matt stored the rifle in. After verifying that the safety was still on it, Takato held it securely as he ran back to the battlefield.

By the time he arrived, Garurumon had already joined the battle, and had successfully drawn Ogremon away. Takato joined Kari and Cody as they watched Ankylomon duke it out with Leomon. 

"What should I do with this?" he asked, holding up the rifle.

"Find Matt. He's down there somewhere," Kari replied.

"Be careful Takato," Cody added.

Takato walked downhill towards the battles. Matt was at the foot of the hill, supervising both Garurumon and Ankylomon up close. 

"I got the rifle." 

"Good," Matt said without looking, "You know the rules- only when they threaten one of us." Matt ran forward to get closer to Garurumon.

"Wait!" Takato's cry didn't help. He was stuck with a dangerous weapon and was the last resort in case something happened. "Perfect," he muttered sarcastically.

At least Takato knew how to use it. Matt had given him some training beforehand. Without an effective partner, Takato had to be able to defend himself somehow. But actually using the rifle in a battle was a different situation entirely. It was cold, it was loud, and it was capable of destroying a C-Level in the blink of an eye. The "eat or be eaten" mentality went to pieces when Takato held the weapon in his hands.

Leomon was providing a more formidable challenge to Ankylomon than Ogremon did. 

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon swung his tail forward, another effort to bash the lion. 

The effort backfired when Leomon caught the tail and began to swing Ankylomon around. Ankylomon's weight wouldn't send him flying far, so Leomon simply lifted him up for a brief second and slammed him to the ground. 

"Ankylomon!!" Leomon heard Cody's shouts nearby and turned to the boy.

"Fist of the Beast King!" He directed a shot right below Cody and Kari. It blew away the ground underneath them, sending the two rolling down the hill. 

"Cody, are you alright?!" Kari yelled even before they reached the bottom.

"Yeah… I'm…" Cody fell silent as he saw the menacing lion approaching them.

"Takato!" Matt shouted. He was well out of range to do anything about the situation.

Takato fumbled with the rifle. He managed to get the safety off and aimed it at the beast. A sweaty finger reached for the trigger. 

He had every reason to pull it. Leomon was threatening Kari and Cody. But he couldn't squeeze the trigger. He couldn't fire off a shot.

He couldn't kill Jeri's partner Digimon.

Leomon's death had brought so much agony to the group. It was a scene Takato never wanted to witness again. It had turned him into a madman, which reflected through Guilmon. This couldn't have been the same Leomon, but the scene was too painful for Takato to relive.

Leomon continued to draw closer to Kari and Cody. Bracing for the attack, Kari threw herself over Cody. She was not willing to let anything happen to him. 

Matt was running towards Takato, yelling, "Takato, what are you waiting for!" 

Takato started panting. It was too much. It was a choice between experiencing death from the past or experiencing death in the present. He couldn't take it the strain any longer…

"Fist of the…" Leomon's attack was drowned out by the rifle's blast.

After minutes of hearing screams, attacks from Digimon, and the occasional explosion, all Kari could hear was the sounds of her heartbeat and her heavy breathing. She slowly released her grip on Cody and slid over, falling back on the ground. Cody was still  panting in the same spot Kari left him. 

They looked over at Matt. He too was panting as he dropped the rifle at Takato's feet.

"Never hesitate when our lives are in danger. I don't care if you're afraid to kill him. Cody is more important than any moral dilemma," he spat. 

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon's attack successfully finished off Ogremon, but Matt wasn't paying attention. He walked over to Kari.

"Are you alright?" 

She didn't answer. He bent down and cradled her head. As she started to cry, he continued to comfort her. "It's okay. We got through it," he said, softly, "You did the right thing."

"I just want to go home," cried Kari.

"We all do," consoled Matt.

All Takato could do was stand at a distance and watch them. He bent down and made sure the safety was back on the rifle.

The train ride home was quiet. Kari rested on a row of seats, a blanket draped over her. Cody sat across from her. He was silent, the brush with death muting him for the time being. Matt and Takato sat on the opposite side of the car.

At least Kari and Cody were recovering from the incident. Takato was just starting to feel the effects. If Matt hadn't run in and grabbed the rifle, Kari would have been hit directly by the attack. There was no chance she would have survived that. 

Takato had a chance to save her. No- he had the responsibility to save her. But a painful memory that rose at an inopportune time resulted in hesitation. It almost resulted in worse.

"Are they going to be okay?" Takato asked, quietly.

"I think it's just a minor case of shock," Matt replied, "It's the first time we've been in that kind of danger in a while."

Takato looked down. "I'm sorry for um…"

Matt shook his head. "You know, you've been here for so long I keep forgetting you aren't used to this whole killing thing. When you go through what we did, it becomes a part of life. Sad, but true."

Takato was about to disagree. That wasn't it at all. He had been through all the torture of having to kill before. It was something else entirely that had caused him to freeze up. But to explain that to Matt would have been a difficult chore. Takato said nothing.

After a couple minutes of silence, Takato forced himself to ask, "Are you still mad?"

"I'm more disappointed than mad. You know, there's no telling how long we're going to be here. And I can guarantee that there will come a day when I won't be there to back you up," Matt sighed, "In a way we're all lucky. Not just because Cody and Kari are all right- but if something happened to them, it would be something you'd have to carry with you for the rest of your life. I don't want to see that happen."

More silence. It was another minute or so before Takato gathered to courage to ask a question out of curiosity rather than necessity. "Back there… I thought I heard you said that Cody was more important than anything. What about Kari? Way I see it she would have been hurt more."

Matt smiled, much to Takato's surprise. "Did I say that? Well, it's a long story. Don't worry, Kari's important too." Matt looked over at her. She was still resting, "She's like a sister to me. I've felt that way ever since I can remember." He laughed quietly, "I guess in a way, she sort of is."

"What do you mean?"

Matt continued to laugh, before eyeing Takato and toning it down. "Never mind." After a few seconds, he spoke again, "It's a little hard to explain what's going on with Cody. We didn't really want to tell you, since we aren't exactly sure what happened either."

"What happened?"

Matt looked down. "A few months after we got here… Cody died."

"Uh…" Takato looked over at Cody, still seated quietly across from Kari, "He doesn't look dead to me."

"That's because it's not exactly Cody. He's a, uh... what's the official term?" Matt retrieved it from his memory, "An I-Level Hybrid."

Takato blinked. He understood none of that. 

"Okay, you know how the basic building block of life is data in the Digital World?" Takato nodded. "And that all that molecular crap that makes people is transferred into data when they get here?" Takato nodded again. "And that when a Digimon is deleted, the data is eventually recycled and re-processed, creating a new Digimon?" 

Takato didn't grasp that. It wasn't the case before. By his experience, deletion of one Digimon was usually followed by another Digimon absorbing the data. 

He nodded anyway. He never was one to concern himself with details. That was why he never asked about Cody before.

Matt continued, "So what happens when a human dies in the Digital World?" 

"Um… I don't know. What?"

"We didn't know for a long time. So far there have only been eight deaths in the Digital World, and five of those are only in theory."

"In theory?"

"The original five digi-destined. We know they got into the Digital World, but after a hell of a lot of research, the eggheads who study this kind of stuff say they never got out."

"Ah… so who else?"

"Let's see, there was that Oikawa guy from TK's book. He's considered number six. There was one kid that got smoked by a Knightmon, but he had it coming. I heard he was a pain in the ass to researchers. Anyway, my father-in-law… Sora's Dad… his crew was able to study what happened to the kid. Data regenerates into a digi-egg, just like a Digimon. The egg hatches, baby comes out, and he has the same data as the dead guy. He goes through the levels of digivolution like a Digimon. Right now, Cody is at the In-Training level, so he looks about eight or nine. When he's ready to jump to Rookie... he'll suddenly transform into a teenager."

"Wow." Takato was genuinely interested. He hadn't even heard of such a concept. The ramifications of endless life were pretty fascinating.

"Yeah. However, the whole recycling only works that way once. If a Hybrid dies, it's lights out. That's why Cody's so important to keep safe. He's already using his second chance."

"Gotcha." Takato took another look at Cody, still gazing at Kari. 

Takato spoke to Matt without looking, "I suppose Cody still has all his memories of being a Chosen?"

"Actually, no. He has the same data as Cody, but his memory was completely eradicated."

"That's awful."

Matt nodded. "I guess. We fill him in on the important things. He knows what he needs to."

Takato continued to watch Cody. Takato was trying to forget his past. He was putting it behind him, in spite of the constant queries of the other six. Cody, however, had no choice. He had a wife, a daughter, and a career. Now it was gone. Takato was trying to make a blessing out of what was a curse to Cody.

Izzy couldn't keep his eyes off her. His world seemed to be transformed and his work took on a whole new meaning.

His daughter had finally broken through. 

She was very quiet, and had said very little since she arrived. But Izzy didn't mind. He didn't know what she had to go through to get here. Presumably, she had risked her life. It was also possible that she had escaped from something awful. She was not her normal, witty self. Instead, she looked hollow and scared. She was afraid to even ask her own father for something simple like a glass of water. The details were still cloudy. 

He typed frantically on his computer as she told her story, barely keeping her voice above a whisper. Each observation had to be recorded. It was the only way to figure out what was going on. 

"…and then I… and then I came here."

Her story wasn't plausible in this reality. Most troubling was that the story half involved people and things Izzy knew were real… and the other half articles of complete fiction.

Izzy's worst fears seemed to be coming to pass. He had heard the stories of the simulations- the real-time virtual realities where the victim would be strapped into a chair and exiled to a virtual world forever. But it was only one of several possibilities. 

"Hypothesis 1," he typed later, "After volunteering for one of Goro's experiments, she was trapped inside this virtual world. Trapped inside for an X number of years, Mari was convinced that it was the true reality. However, too intelligent even for the program Deus, Mari managed to open a rift from this virtual world into the Digital World." Izzy looked at his screen. It was possible. He had always believed that Mari possessed intelligence that would surpass his one day. And although passage from the real world to the Digital World was restricted, that may not be the case with a virtual dimension.

No- that couldn't be it. If the virtual world truly was different, then there was no way the experiment would allow the same physical characteristics to exist under a different identity. 

Izzy had always tried to imagine what his daughter would grow up to look like. The girl sleeping on the futon nearby fit the description exactly.

"Hypothesis 2," he typed, "Mari worked diligently on her own to discover a way around the barrier and forcibly enter the Digital World. But during her entry, her data was corrupted somehow, leaving a gaping hole in her memory." 

That was more likely a story. It was rare for it to happen; in the many years Izzy spent researching the Digital World, data corruption to a human only happened a couple times. They were very messy ordeals, made worse with the court systems. Izzy smiled at the memory of Cody pulling his hair out over one such case that ended up in the World Court. 

If that hypothesis proved to be true, it would be difficult to recover the data, but possible. As sad as it was that Mari was literally not all together, this was the most optimal diagnosis.

Izzy could barely proceed with the third possibility, but forced his fingers on the keys.

"Hypothesis 3… her effort to open a gate was discovered by the government. She was prosecuted and banished to the Digital World. Her memory was cleared and replaced with an entirely different one, and dropped here as a scared girl who lost her way."

Sad as it was, this was a frighteningly real possibility. 

Izzy forced himself away from the computer. He could spend hours trying to analyze the past to determine what had transpired. But the question of what to do with her now was something no computer would be able to tell him. She was still the sweet Mari he remembered. She still reminded him of her mother, his wife, who was hopefully still at home in the real world. He still missed Aya, and knew that Aya missed him too. 

The chances of him returning to the real world were next to nothing. Not without sacrificing everything that he stood for at least. But Mari didn't belong here. Even if she risked the journey to the Digital World on her own, she didn't deserve to remain there for all eternity. And Aya would be lonely with neither husband nor daughter at her side. 

Izzy decided that if she couldn't have both, she would have one. He was determined to send his daughter home.

Takato waited as TK walked out of the cabin after debriefing Matt. TK glared at Takato. "You are the luckiest bastard in the world," he said before continuing on towards the research facility. 

Takato looked down. He still felt bad about the whole thing. Matt stepped outside and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. If you actually went through with it, he'd be mad at me for letting their lives fall to you."

"Am I that unreliable?" Takato asked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Look, go help Joe with the firewood. He could use some help. By the time you get back, you'll have forgotten all about it."

Takato nodded and walked into the woods. He found Joe analyzing one tree carefully.

"Hey Joe. Matt says I should help you."

"You know, if you strategically remove one tree from the woods, the whole forest can grow because of it. Also, we need the firewood," Joe said.

"Just let me know what I can do to help."

"Right. It's too bad Gatomon's not here. She could probably take this down with her claw. Those are really sharp." 

Joe stood up next to Takato. "But I'm sure we can improvise… wait…" Joe walked up to the tree a second time… and walked into it. Then he exited. "Shoot, it's a hollow. No sense chopping that one down."

Both ended up settling for sticks on the ground. Hopefully the lumber supply would last for a little longer. 

Joe started up a conversation, "Heard about what happened at the Koromon village," 

"You did?" Takato replied, nervously.

"Yeah. Ogremon and Leomon…" Joe pondered the names, "Something awfully familiar about those two. They aren't two Digimon you'd picture together, but for some reason, it doesn't seem unusual for them to be in cahoots."

"Oh… I don't suppose you heard about…"

Joe shook his head. "Yeah, I know. I wouldn't worry too much about it. When I was your age, I probably would have dropped the gun and ran."

"Better than freezing up." Takato wasn't feeling better.

"Well, the best thing you can do is to put it all behind you. Don't let it happen again, but don't let it bother you next time."

"But I almost killed Kari… how can you say I should just let it go?"

"You flipped a coin, and you won. But don't dwell on it. Just remember that next time the coin may not land the way you want it to."

Takato wasn't satisfied. "I don't remember any of you guys doing that. You were always there for each other. Even when you were scared, you seemed to pull through."

"Well, half of that is TK's fault. The book made it sound like we adjusted to this place pretty quickly. But we were all scared out of our minds for the first couple weeks. Those early digi-volutions didn't happen as early as he made it look. For every one time when we actually stood up to the bad guys, there were three times when we either hid from them, or ran like hell. It doesn't surprise me that those encounters never made it in there."

"Why did he take them out?"

"Who on Earth would want to read four chapters of kids running away from monsters? That book's long enough as it is."

Takato tried to follow Joe's advice and forget about the incident. He instead recalled the talk with Kari about their children. Unlike the others, except for Cody, Joe rarely talked about his son.

"You know, I don't really hear much about your son," Takato said bluntly, "I mean, Sora and TK talk about their kids, and I feel like I know Kari's son, but yours…"

"Sad to say it, but he's another thing I'm trying to put out of my memory."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Joe shook his head. "Nothing really. But we have to live our lives without regretting the decisions we make. His memory obstructs that."

Takato didn't understand. "But you still love him though, right? And your wife too? I don't see how that obstructs anything."

"Well, Mizuki and I never really had what you'd call 'true love.' We were good friends,  not much more." Joe smiled, "After we realized that we were probably the only two people who could tolerate each other… we got married. There wasn't any passion in our relationship, but we got along great. Sure beat living alone too."

"But you didn't love her? That's kind of sad."

Joe shook his head. "Who said I didn't love her? I loved her as a friend, isn't that enough?"

"Well… I always thought marriage was about…"

"Serious romantic love is dangerous, Takato. It drives people nuts. Look at Matt and Sora. They tried to go from friendship love to romantic love and they ended up hating each other. Once they went back to friendship love… they were fine."

"You don't think Matt and Sora were meant for romance?"

Again, Joe shook his head. "I don't know. She just picked Matt out of the blue. The way she did it, I wonder if she could have picked anybody. We were all really close."

Now transfixed by the frank discussion of the romantic background of the Chosen, Takato prodded the issue further. "So why do you think she picked Matt?"

Joe shrugged. "Don't know. I hear he's good in bed."

With that, Takato immediately stopped discussing the romantic background of the Chosen. He put the conversation back on course. "So you really think forgetting about your wife and son makes you feel better?"

"It doesn't make me feel worse, that's for sure. But like I said, I didn't have a strong romantic relationship with my wife. Now look at Kari. She's a perfect example of someone who should forget about their past. She was happily married, romantic even, and was actually succeeding at raising a child. That's a delicate art, you know."

"I'm sure." Takato looked back towards the camp. He was too far away to see anything, but he immediately understood what Joe was getting at. Kari would probably give anything to see her family again.

"And Cody..." Joe continued, "…let's just say he's much better off than he was in the real world."

"But he has no memory of the real world… how does he know?" Takato was still coming to terms with what happened to Cody.

Joe started to clean his glasses, "Trust me. I think Cody just wasn't meant to be a grown-up. The part of the innocent, yet responsible child suited him a lot better."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, his first problem was that he was a lawyer. Worse yet, he was one of those lawyers that set out to clean up the profession."

"I take it he failed."

"Miserably. It seemed like every day he had to compromise his ethics. He was good at his job, but the job wasn't good to him." Joe put his glasses back on his face. "And I'd almost hate to bring up his love life."

"His love life?" Takato readied himself. He still knew Cody as a nine-year-old. Despite his fear of some disturbing mental images, he allowed Joe to continue. It seemed as if Joe wanted Takato to hear the story.

"More specifically, Akane Aomori. The girl of his dreams. Smart, mature, polite and a big fan of martial arts, especially those kendo guys. If she wasn't six years younger than me I probably would have fallen for her myself."

"So what happened?"

"They were the perfect couple all through college. At least he thought. But he never was brave enough to pop the question. Maybe if he would have, she would have understood how committed he was. And maybe she wouldn't have left him after graduation to pursue 'other opportunities' in Fukuoka."

"That's awful," Takato was slowly being reminded of his own failed adventure in romance. 

"She was the one meant for him, and he let her go. He ended up marrying Junko, but even then, he still never forgot the one that got away. Junko's nice, but I could tell she was always more of a consolation prize to Cody."

Takato nodded. He was slowly starting to piece together how successful married life was to the twelve Odaiba Chosen. It seemed pretty divided. There were a few who were parts of very happy couples like Kari, Tai, Davis, and Izzy. Some were average- not a match made in heaven but workable. Previous discussions with TK prompted Takato to include Ken and Yolei on that list, while Joe and Cody were recent additions. And then there were the rocky marriages- Sora and Matt's definitely applied, and a few seemed to hint that Mimi was unhappy. Everybody said TK belonged to this group, except for TK himself. 

It was a sad situation either way. All six were separated from loved ones, even if Matt and Sora only were apart from their children instead of their spouses. And Cody seemed to be unique.

Takato was beginning to understand Joe's point. "…and then he died and forgot it all." 

Joe nodded… then quickly looked at Takato. "Who told you that? I thought everybody else didn't want you to know."

"Oh, Matt told me. On the way back from the battle," Takato answered. It didn't seem like a big deal. 

However, Joe was concerned. Then he chuckled, "Well, Sora really didn't want you finding out about that. So don't let on that you know. And definitely don't tell her Matt told you. He'll be sleeping on the sofa for a month if you do."

"What's the problem? It's just Cody dying and being reborn. It's a little strange, but I don't see what's wrong with me knowing."

"Well, it all has to do with Kari and TK."

"What do Kari and TK have to do with all this?"

"Cody's rebirth was a clear sign that TK and Kari were having sex," Joe blurted, forgetting for a moment who he was talking to.

Takato looked up in surprise. "What? Matt didn't say that."

Joe looked up and slapped his forehead. "Oh shoot… now I'm in trouble if Sora finds out."

"So TK and Kari are in a relationship… I was starting to wonder." Takato wasn't so naïve that he didn't notice the way the two behaved. After more than a year, there was plenty of evidence to suggest that the two were together, but nothing was concrete.

"Yeah, well don't let on that you know. Some of the others don't really approve of it and none of us really talk about it much. As far as I'm concerned, they can do what they want as long as I don't have to hear the details."

"Well, I guess they're both consenting adults. Do the others have a problem with it  because they're married?" It wasn't Takato's place to take a stand on the issue, but the thought was still a little troubling. Especially since Kari was previously in one of the happier marriages of the group.

Joe smiled at Takato. "See. This is what Sora doesn't understand. You drew your own mature conclusion about it all. And a very valid one at that. Age doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as maturity. I mean, look at Cody, he's the most mature out of any of us."

Takato nodded in agreement, before prodding further, "So what was the clear sign that TK and Kari were together?"

This time, Joe was hesitant, but decided to spill the beans. "Well, there's always an abundance of data in the air, and there's always a little bit that has the properties of a digiegg. Usually, when a Digimon dies, the digiegg data attracts the loose data. But since the loose data is heavier, the digiegg data is pulled in. A mass of digiegg data comes together around the loose data, and preserves it."

"Okay…" Takato pretended to understand.

"Well, when Cody died, his loose data wasn't attracted to the digiegg data. Instead, it found a different, more suitable egg, nearby."

"Okay…" Takato still didn't get it.

"The, uh… egg was more attune to a human's data because it was in fact a human's egg…"

Again, Takato pretended to understand… until he figured it out. He stopped and turned to Joe with a look of pure shock.

Joe smiled and nodded, "That's what I said." He kept walking. Not satisfied with having warped Takato's mind already, he continued, "Cody's data took over an already fertilized egg, replaced the chromosomes and rewrote the DNA. It's a shame so few people were around to witness the first human to give birth in the Digital World."

"Poor Kari…" Takato said. 

"Poor Kari? Poor all of us. All hell broke loose when it happened. I got the worst end of it… I had to deliver the darn thing."

"How long before you knew it was Cody?"

"Well, we knew that humans who die were reborn as Hybrids, and when we figured out that the baby was a B-Level Hybrid, we guessed that it was Cody." Joe paused, then reflected on the whole thing, "I suppose it wasn't really that hellish. It was just dramatic. All these new curve balls were thrown at us. I mean, Izzy and I had spent our whole lives working with the Digital World, and when Kari gave birth to Cody we pretty much threw our research out the window because we realized that we still don't know a damn thing about this place."

"Wait a minute… did you say Izzy?" Takato had obviously picked out something he wasn't supposed to, because Joe jumped back in fear for the first time in the conversation, despite his previous openness.

"Um… did I?"

"Yeah. Was he with you guys? What happened to him?"

Joe was silent for a moment before continuing to walk back. "He used to be with us. But even I'm not willing to tell you what happened. It's too painful."

"Why?"

"I suppose I should have asked if you've ever been in love, Takato."

Takato looked down. Joe's previous advice and Joe's current question were working against each other.

"Yes," he answered, trying not to recall the image of Jeri smiling brightly at him.

Joe made an observation and replied, "I'm guessing it didn't turn out well."

"No," Takato answered in the same tone.

"Well, when you forget about her… make sure to forget about the emotions she pulled out of you. Trust me." Joe turned towards the camp as they finally neared it. He gave Takato one last clarification, "If you do that… you won't turn into TK and Kari… and you definitely won't turn into Izzy."

"I hope this works.   
"If it doesn't, I don't know what I'd do with myself.   
"But we have to try, don't we?  
"Promise me that when you get back, you'll tell them that we're alright.  
"I still don't know how you got here, but I'm glad you came.  
"I'll always remember you."

"I love you, Daddy."

The next couple weeks were uneventful, with the frequency of corrupted Digimon decreasing. To Matt, to Kari, to TK, and to Takato, it was signs that things were getting better. But to Sora, to Joe, and to Cody… it was merely the calm before the storm.

"Oh… yes…" Matt had a habit of talking in his sleep. Especially when his dreams were particularly emotional and/or enjoyable.

"Mmm…" The smile on his face said it all as he clutched his pillow.

"Oh, Riley…" he moaned as he held it tighter.

A klaxon blared. It wasn't deafening, but it was annoying. It did its part to wake Matt up.

"Huh?" He wasn't used to waking up to the sound of an alarm. He returned his pillow into place and turned around.

"Sora?" He checked to see if his wife was awake, but she wasn't even in the bed.

Matt jumped out of bed, threw a shirt on, and left the room. He found Sora sitting on the sofa in a robe, staring expressionlessly at the research station. 

"Sora? What's wrong?" 

"Were you having a pleasant dream?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Uh… I… what do you mean?" Matt knew exactly what she meant, but playing stupid usually was his most reliable strategy.

"You really should stop talking in your sleep." She didn't even look him in the face, and  Matt felt her glaring at him. He was in hot water.

"What's going on?" Fortunately, his brother and Kari had left the opposite room after hearing the alarm. TK looked out the window, but Kari went straight for the door.

"We'll talk about this later." Sora said as she joined Kari in leaving. TK and Matt followed.

They walked across on bare feet to the research station, where the noise came from. Cody and Takato were already inside. Cody was typing on a computer while Takato was trying to manage a massive load of printouts being spewed.

Matt helped Takato with the paper while TK asked Cody, "What's going on?" 

"Something big, TK. I'm not quite sure, but it's coming from File Island."

A sigh of horror came from Kari. She barged into the conversation, "Gatomon's over there!"

"I know. I just got a line of communication open." Cody was able to get a screen of Gatomon on the computer.

"Can I talk to her?"

"She's your partner. Go right ahead." Cody stood, allowing Kari to take his seat.

"Gatomon? What's wrong?" Kari spoke into a nearby microphone.

Gatomon's reply came through the speakers so everybody could hear. "Kari, I'm glad you guys are up. I don't want to alarm you, but we're going to need everybody over here pretty fast. Take some time and get everything you need together. Running into this isn't going to help, but the sooner, the better." 

"It'll take a little time to get Patamon, Gomamon, and Gabumon back here but we'll go as fast as we can," TK answered.

"Good. I'll start the evacuations now so no innocent Digimon get hurt."

"Okay, but be careful." Kari was so close to the microphone that her voice was likely to distort on the other end.

"Don't worry about me, Kari. It's just a good thing I noticed it now instead of tomorrow night."

Kari had no answer. She just nodded, even though Gatomon couldn't receive that signal. Meanwhile, Matt was inspecting the printouts as Takato tried making some sense of them.

"What's going on? What is all this?"

Matt was grim. The printouts were mostly data, but even the most amateur digitologist could interpret what it meant.

He looked up at the others. TK and Sora exchanged knowing looks. Finally, Matt turned to Takato.

"It's Daemon."  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Six- Hell"**

**Author's Notes  
**This stage is interesting because it almost seemed safe. Some of the backstory filled in, some action, and a much-needed explanation. But then it all went to hell after Joe explained the whole story. And little perverted Matt didn't make things any better.  
  
Although the stage was mostly in Takato's limited perspective, it was still clearly about the Chosen and their adulthood. Hence the title. The expository about how the Odaiba crew grew up, including Kari comments on the children, Izzy remembering his wife, and Joe's discussion of romance and marriage, all have two purposes. One is simply a little insight into what happens in the romantic field of their lives. The second is that this all is important material to remember when Level 2 comes around and the stories come to life.  
  
Another important thing to keep in mind for the future is Mari. She only barely registers on the radar this chapter, but her story in the Digital World becomes absolutely essential in Level 2 and 3.  
  
All of the children and all of the spouses have names. Most, as I always seem to do in fanfic, are derived from other animes. Most of the names dropped are named that way for a reason, and carry a symbolic meaning. The only two that don't are Mizuki and Mari, which is strange because Mari's by far the most important character of the lot.  
  
Just to recap-  
Happy Marriage- Kari, Tai, Davis, Izzy  
Average Marriage- Ken, Yolei, Joe, Cody  
Problematic Marriage- Matt, Sora, Mimi, TK  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Five of The Connection  


	6. Hell

**_Level 1: Worlds_****  
**  
_From Webster's Dictionary:_

_hell (hel) _n._ The abode of dead souls condemned to eternal punishment; a place of evil, torment, or destruction; great distress; anguish; a cause of trouble or misery__  
_   
**Stage Six- Hell****  
  
**"Boom Bubble!!"

Patamon's shot was on target, and collided harmlessly with a nearby tree.

TK observed his Digimon's work, then said, "That's a good shot Patamon, but I don't think you'll be doing much R-Level fighting."

"Never hurts to be prepared TK!" Patamon flew onto his partner's left shoulder and watched TK make final status checks on both rifles. 

TK didn't need to be told about the necessity of preparation. The camp was currently in hour four of preparing for Daemon's arrival. It would not have taken so long if they didn't have to wait for some of the Digimon who were stationed in other parts of the world. But since the wait was unavoidable, the group was able to move a little more leisurely. 

"Need any help TK?" Cody approached, not satisfied with taking a break.

"Nope, I'm good…" TK looked toward one of the cabins. "Is Kari still inside?" 

Kari had been in the cabin for half an hour, and TK was slowly growing concerned. At least concerned enough to change his mind and take Cody up on his offer.

"Cody, go and see what your mother's up to."

"So you're back again." Kari narrowed her eyes. "Back for what? More death? More chaos? You seem to like that, don't you?" 

It was just a bathroom mirror, but for the time being, Kari's reflection was acting as Kari's polar opposite- the darkness. And Kari had a lot to say to it. 

"That or you don't care. All you want is power. At any cost. You'll go through anything. Anyone. All those people…" She bit her lip. 

"To think they actually thought we didn't care. But we do. More than anyone else. And I haven't forgiven. And I sure as hell haven't forgotten."

She was interrupted by a rapping at the door. "Kari!!" 

Kari took a breath. It felt good to get that out of her system, but Cody (or somebody acting through Cody) was trying to bring her back to the world. 

As she opened the door, she looked down at Cody and smiled. "TK sent you here, didn't he?"

The boy smiled and nodded. 

"TK..." Kari walked out of the cabin and walked up to TK. She glanced back to Cody, who had quietly resigned himself to another project. With his eyes distracted, she wrapped her arms around TK's waist. 

"Admit it- you thought I got sucked into the Dark Ocean."

TK snickered and turned his head around. "Hey, it's my job to worry about you getting sucked into the Dark Ocean. Why stop now?"

"You know darn well I'm not going to let that happen. I've grown up."

"I guess. So what were you doing? Ranting at Daemon again?"

Kari released her grip on TK and took a step back. "It's his fault we're here."

TK rolled his eyes. "Maybe, but you blame Daemon for everything."

"Well, at least fighting him in the Digital World is easier than fighting him back home."

Finished for the time being, TK turned around. The sudden movement startled Patamon, and he hovered overhead. "That's true. Less collateral damage, that's for sure. Good thing that kid spotted him in '15 or that one could have gotten ugly."

"But you weren't in the '15 battle, were you?" 

The smile on her face made it clear that it was just in jest, but TK frowned. "I was busy falling in love, remember?"

The frown on his face made it clear that he was trying to be serious, but Kari broke out in laughter. "Oh come on! Davis and I were on our honeymoons when it happened!" 

TK had heard the story a million times, and saw it coming. He still couldn't help but laugh. "That still cracks me up- you and Davis have your weddings the same week so everybody would be in town. And then Daemon attacks… how the heck did Tai convince you two to fight?"

With a snicker, Kari explained, "He didn't. Davis convinced me. He said we'd both make the sacrifice together… and constantly rub in Tai's face the fact that he was still single." She laughed. "God, I love Davis."

"Well, at least you two had completed the courting process. I was just starting it, remember?" TK was smiling, but sounded defensive. 

"Nobody blames you for not being there. Besides, your wife wasn't really that big on Digimon anyway, was she?"

"She didn't like the big nasty ones. And she really hated violence."

"She liked me though!" Patamon chimed in.

"Yeah, she did like the little cute ones." Suddenly, he pointed a finger at Patamon. "That, and you always took her side," he accused.

He walked over to see what Matt and Sora were up to. Kari walked up to Patamon. They looked at each other and frowned.

"I don't even think he misses her…" Patamon lamented.

Takato knew he wasn't going to be thrown into the front lines, but he also knew he still had a role in this. The tone of the camp had suddenly grown more professional. Everybody, including Takato, had a job to do in order to succeed. What bothered Takato was that it didn't seem like the others were treating it like a battle to save the world. They were indeed professional- doing what they had to do to get ready. But they weren't all that serious. They were still smiling and making jokes. There was still laughter in the air, even with thoughts of Daemon polluting it.

He held a clipboard, waiting for Sora to exit the research station. "Status?" he asked.

"Biyomon will be here in an hour," she answered. Takato made a note of it, then read the update aloud.

"Biyomon will be here in an hour, Gabumon should be here any minute, we're meeting Gatomon there. Armadillomon's here, Patamon's here, Veemon's here… that just leaves Gomamon," Takato announced to nobody in particular. 

"Do you want me to ask Joe to find him?" Cody asked, still eager to help out.

"Sure."

As Cody headed for the station, TK followed with a couple cases. "Takato, rifles are ready."

"Good, load them," Takato replied, checking off the appropriate line. While TK did that, Takato went over to Sora and Kari. Sora was whispering something into Kari's ear.

"You're kidding me," Kari said in disgust.

"What's going on here?" Takato asked. 

The women looked up nervously. "Nothing," Kari stated, "Nothing for you to worry about. Just keep those guys in line, all right?" 

Sora smiled. "Right. You're in charge Takato. You should put your goggles on."

"Are you nervous?" Kari asked him.

Takato fidgeted. "Well, a little. But I'm surprised you're all so calm. Isn't this like the worst evil Digimon there is?"

Kari nodded. "It is, but we've faced him three times before and got through it in one piece… for the most part. We just have to have faith we'll do it again."

"And remember Takato, we've been working with Digimon since we were your age. We know what we're doing, and we trust that everybody, including our Digimon, know what they're doing too," Sora added.

"So you aren't scared at all?" Takato found that hard to believe.

"Are you kidding me?" Sora was still smiling, but shook her head. "We're all scared to death right now."

After all the preparations were made, and the Digimon arrived, the team left for File Island. The train led them across the ocean from the beaches of Server to the shores of File; the days of relying on helpful Whamon were long gone. 

The closer they got to the battlefield, the more serious everybody got. Even before they reached land, a few of them had met in the front car to air out concerns. Takato made sure to be in this discussion, which also included Matt, Joe, and Kari. Although it took some prodding from Matt to convince Kari to bring up her issue.

"My biggest problem right now is a question of leadership," she admitted. 

"What do you mean? Am I forgetting about something?"

"Well, I mean, I heard about your little dream last night and I'm having a little trouble taking orders from…"

Matt already had a hand up, although he didn't appear happy discussing the subject. "Look, I already talked about it with Sora. She agrees that we have other things to worry about. She can chew me out later."

"Fine, but I will make sure she does." 

Matt shook his head and pointed at Joe, who had a hand raised. 

"I just want to clarify something: Daemon has the power to break into the real world, right?"

"Yeah. It's not something he could do readily, especially after the Sealing, but if anyone can do it, he could," Matt replied.

"But wait a minute- we don't have the power to get into the real world, do we?" Takato asked.

"No, we don't."

"So… what happens if Daemon gets into the real world?"

Matt thought about it for one second before responding, "We're all horribly fucked." 

"So what are we supposed to do if it happens?"

Matt chuckled. "We can't let it happen. Simple as that. To do so would be... well, bad."

The Vegiemon conductor opened a door and turned to Matt. "We're almost there."

Matt thanked him and turned to the other three. "Well, if anyone has to use the facilities, now's the time. There are no bathroom breaks when you're battling to save the world."

The train station on File Island was near the cabin at the base of Infinity Mountain. According to Gatomon, the spot could see some heavy fighting, so the train stopped at the edge of the forest. Matt and TK jumped out with rifles. Armadillomon and Cody followed. Armadillomon sniffed the air for any signs of a surprise ambush.

"All clear," he announced.

Matt and TK lowered their weapons as Gabumon and Patamon exited the train, followed by Joe and Gomamon.

"I don't know why you called it Mole, TK, it didn't take that long!" Gomamon said, referring to the train.

TK looked at the engine. It looked like a mole to him. "Am I the only one who sees it?"

Kari, Takato, and Veemon stepped onto the island. Kari was immediately concerned. "Where's Gatomon? She said she'd meet us here."

"I'm sure she'll be here. We're a little early."

Then Sora started laughing from the train. 

"What is it, Sora?" Biyomon asked as she hovered in the air alongside Patamon.

"I just realized something," she said as she jumped down, "This is my first time back."

Joe looked bewildered. "Since when?" 

"Since ever... since the beginning."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "You mean... Since Devimon?" 

"I must say it's aged nicely," she said with a little smile.

TK could barely believe it. "I hope so. It's a File Island for the new millennium."

"I used to stop here every month..." Joe couldn't believe it either.

"Hey, we're not here for nostalgia, we're here to save the world," As usual, Cody had to bring the adults back to reality. 

"Right. Thanks Cody." Matt starting marching down the tracks. "First thing's first. We have to find Gatomon."

Kari already had her digivice out and pointed into the woods. "I think we can follow the tracks and get to her."

"I'll stay back and set up home base," Joe volunteered.

"Right," Matt said, handing Joe his rifle. "Everybody else- you know the drill."

The remaining four adults, Cody, and their Digimon started walking down the tracks. Takato picked up the hint soon enough and was right behind with Veemon. He wasn't used to such a militaristic style of Digimon battling, but assumed that Matt and the group knew what they were doing.

"Takato?" Matt shouted, not looking back.

"Sir?" Takato shouted back, then quickly caught himself. "Er, I mean, Matt?"

Matt tried not to laugh. "Why aren't you asking us what the drill is?"

Trying not to hide any embarrassment, Takato quickly recovered, "Because Veemon was just about to tell me!" 

Matt couldn't contain his laughter any longer, "All right then. Good comeback."

Sora leaned in and said privately to Matt, "You really shouldn't tease him like that. Remember how we were?" 

"Yeah, I know. We were all scared little kids last time you were here."

"I don't think anything's changed," she replied.

"Okay, Takato!" Behind the Ishida's, Veemon came through for his surrogate partner and explained "the drill" clearly, "We're gonna line up in three groups of two humans. Humans on the inside, Digimon on the outside. Strongest ones go first and last. Kari's in the middle."

"As are you, Veemon," Kari interrupted.

"If Davis was here, I'd be in front of all of you!" Although Takato was able to resign himself to the position more easily, Veemon still had trouble with his lack of power.

Matt, Sora, Gabumon, and Biyomon led the way. Behind them, Takato and Veemon followed, as did Kari to relay instructions towards finding Gatomon. Cody, TK, Patamon, and Armadillomon trailed. Patamon could fly anyway, and TK had the rifle to take care of any sneak attacks. 

The first attack wasn't sneaky at all. It came in the form of a big, black teddy bear marching down the track toward them.

"WaruMonzaemon. Well, we're getting somewhere, we've got U-Levels hunting us," Sora announced.

"So, who wants to take it?" Matt asked the group without taking his eyes off the monster.

"Hold on, how do we know it's fighting for Daemon?" Cody pleaded.

"Bear Claw!!" WaruMonzaemon attacked, removing all doubt. The entire group dove out of harms way and out of the clearing provided by the track. 

Matt turned to Sora. "Honey, why don't you take this one?" 

"Sure thing," Sora said, clutching her digivice. "All the way?"

Matt poked his head out and looked at WaruMonzaemon closing in. He returned to safety and nodded. "Yeah. Make it fast, make it clean."

Sora held the digivice towards Biyomon. "Okay B, let's do this."

"Righty-o!" Biyomon shouted.

"Wait... what do you mean all the way??" 

Takato's question was answered when Biyomon began to glow.

"Biyomon Warp Digivolve to... Hououmon!" The small pink bird jumped out of the trees and gave way to a mighty golden phoenix. 

"Crimson Flame!!" One blast from Hououmon sent WaruMonzaemon up in flames. In seconds, the virus type's data was bound for Primary Village.

Matt smiled and gave some light applause to his wife. "Nice." 

"Whoa..." Takato was in shock. "Since when was Biyomon able to do that?!" 

"It's a long story." Sora said, greeting Hououmon as it was reduced back to an R-Level. "Good work, B."

"Very good work, Biyomon, Sora." TK found his way out of hiding with Kari and Cody, "We didn't even ask what everybody's levels were."

Sora smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "What? Didn't you think I was staying above 300?"

"Now, now, I'm sure everybody's above 300..." Matt caught sight of Takato, looking down and silently kicking one of the train rails. Matt quickly changed the subject. "Let's keep moving. We haven't even gotten to the fun part yet."

Matt was silently dreading the so-called "fun part." Aside from the whole life-or-death situation and the possibility that Daemon would escape to the real world, there was Takato. 

During day-to-day life, Takato wasn't a problem. He did his work and he was an enjoyable person to be around. He was cheerful, energetic, and rarely complained. Takato was still the outsider, but an outsider welcomed into the family with open arms. 

But as Matt led the troops across the tracks, drawing nearer to Infinity Mountain, he knew this wasn't day-to-day life. Combat was Takato's fatal flaw. The Chosen had carved out their niche by defending the Digital World against pretty much anything. Takato was simply not equipped to do that. Whoever this Guilmon was, he wasn't in the Digital World anymore, and did not appear in any of the highly advanced facility databases. Matt had always considered that a shame. Takato said very little about his previous adventures, but he did let slip a few things over the twenty months he had been staying. From what Matt could put together, Takato and Guilmon were through quite a lot. Synch level of 300? They must have had it easily. 

But Guilmon wasn't here, and Takato was stuck with Veemon and a synch of 92. That posed a hell of a problem to Matt, because the pair simply wasn't effective to use in battle. Furthermore, Matt still didn't trust Takato with the rifle. They only had two, and both needed to be in capable hands. Yet Matt wanted Takato involved somehow. The kid deserved to be more than support staff, but with so little room for error, Matt was having trouble providing Takato a meaningful role in the battle.

"Gatomon?!" Kari yelled towards the cabin. Her D-3 sensed the feline nearby.

"Kari! Is that you??" Gatomon replied, balancing herself along the rails as she greeted them, jumping into Kari's awaiting arms.

"I was starting to get worried," Kari stroked her partner's ears.

"You think you were worried? That walking pin cushion was on my tail for the last couple hours. He smelled like he was corrupted by Daemon." 

"Gatomon..." 

While Kari was happy to be reunited with her partner, Matt was all business, "Do we have time to get briefed and ready for this guy?"

Gatomon jumped out of Kari's arms and landed cleanly on one of the rails. "We should have at least an hour before he bio-emerges, Matt. It should be enough time to get a game plan together," she said with a salute.

"What are we waiting for then? Hopefully Joe's done unpacking." TK did an about-face and led the charge back.

The full team of fourteen sat in Mole's passenger car, except four. Patamon and Biyomon passed out the headsets that served as wireless communicators while Matt and Gatomon stood next to a board, displaying a map of the island. They were ready to brief the team.

"The headsets are all charged up and ready to go, but don't turn them on until we leave. When we do, set them for channel 3." Matt was now completely focused on the mission. The moment was drawing near. "Gatomon?"

The cat stood on her hind legs and addressed the army, "WaruMonzaemon was only an appetizer. In fact, he didn't even know he was working for Daemon. His data was corrupted and he turned into a nasty hellraiser. It's safe to assume Daemon has the power to do this, but we don't know why he would. A lone U-Level is nothing we can't handle."

"Actually, Gatomon, that explains everything." Cody stood up. "Don't you get it? All those corruptions in the past few months were because of Daemon. He's been testing us. Sizing up his competition. He wants to know what he's going to be up against before he emerges."

"We don't know that for sure, Cody," TK said.

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense," Takato observed, "Cody's got a point. I think he nailed it. He wants to know what we're capable of." 

Murmurs of general agreement went on before Matt nodded. "Actually, that's going to work to our advantage. In fact, that's excellent. It means we stand a good chance of winning."

"Why do you say that?" Joe asked.

"Because we were never using our full power. We always handled everything at the C-Level. Did anybody have to go U-Level for anything?"

Joe and Sora raised their hands. "Just once," Joe explained, "Things were getting a little hairy one time and I didn't think Ikkakumon was going to be able to handle it." 

"Still, that's not what we're all capable of. None of us even came close to going M, so that's going to be a real..."

"Uh, Matt..." Sora interrupted.

"Yes?"

She sighed. "B just went Mega twenty minutes ago, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"So it's safe to assume that he knows we can go M-Level," said Gabumon.

"And since he's never seen Biyomon do it before, he assumes we can all go M-Level," added Armadillomon.

"What's worse is that he's overestimating us- we *can't* all go M-Level," Cody made the revelation bleaker than it already was..

Matt took a moment to let it sink in before continuing. "Okay... that means this could get interesting. Gatomon, what's he bringing to the table?"

Gatomon walked up to the map, still on hind legs, "After searching the island, I found three emergence points besides Daemon's. They're big ones, so I think he's going to go with his core corps."

"MarineDevimon, LadyDevimon, and SkullSatamon." The Chosen still remembered the trio from the original battle of '03.

"That's them. Matt, give me a boost. I'll point them out on the map."

Matt lifted Gatomon up to the map and she poked holes into it with her claws, pointing each one out. "This one's closest to water, so I guess it's MarineDevimon." She pointed to a second spot, by the cabin. "This one's LadyDevimon... I could smell it." She poked a third marker. "This leaves SkullSatamon. This leaves Daemon at the other end of the cross." A fourth hole poked designated the main enemy.

"The cross?" Gomamon asked.

"The cross..." She connected Daemon's point to Skull Satamon's, followed by LadyDevimon's to MarineDevimon's, forming a perfectly unholy cross. 

"Making his mark, as usual," Matt remarked. He set Gatomon down and proceeded. "We're running out of time, so here's the plan. SkullSatamon's the toughest one to beat. Sora and I will take that one. Hopefully two M-Levels double-teaming him will be enough." He glanced over at Sora. She nodded in complete understanding; any marital issues were left back home. 

He continued, "LadyDevimon..." Matt smiled and looked over at Kari. "I think we all know who wants to take her on." A few laughs from the others rose as Kari acknowledged the long-standing rivalry. "Trying to make it five-for-five against her Kari?"

"Four-for-five, Matt," Gatomon corrected him, "She had my number in '27. Hoping for a little payback myself."

"You'll get your chance Gatomon. TK and Patamon are to provide backup only. Only interfere if Kari's in serious trouble. We're going to need you later."

"Yes, sir! Right, sir!" Patamon yelled.

"And Kari, I know there's that whole pride thing going, but if Angewomon's starting to slip, then it's okay to digivolve to M. Hopefully you won't need to though."

As Kari acknowledged the order, Takato scratched his neck. He doubted any of this was going to concern him anyway.

"Finally, there's MarineDevimon," Matt continued, "Gomamon's the aquatics expert, so he's yours. Engage him at a U-Level on land. If Zudomon's too much for him, odds are he'll head for the sea. That's when you digivolve and let Plesiomon take care of business."

"No problem, Matt." Joe was taking notes, and underlined that last part three times.

"Cody- you have the undersea mon. Be waiting underwater with Submarimon and constantly communicate with Joe. If he needs your help, be sure he gets it."

After Cody affirmed, Matt turned his back to the group when he immediately recognized the flaw in that plan. Fortunately, he also saw a way to solve that problem, and another, before Kari could raise any questions about it. 

"Takato." Takato was surprised to hear his named called. "Since Cody has to be inside Submarimon to battle, that could present a life-threatening problem. You and Veemon are to stand by on the beach and make sure Cody and Submarimon are safe. Should anything happen, your job is to dive in and save their lives."

Slightly overwhelmed, but not wanting to deny the responsibility, Takato slowly nodded. "No problem. Do you think I can handle it?"

"Well, better a young Okinawa kid than us middle-aged city slickers." Matt was assuming a little too much out of the student ID in Takato's wallet, but wasn't going to give Takato a chance to back down. "Hopefully after those three are down, TK and Cody will still be ready to take on Daemon, and Kari, Sora and I will still have enough in the tank to help out."

"Wait a second, who's taking Daemon to start out with?" Kari asked.

"Usually what happens is Daemon won't attack until he has to. He'll be quietly trying to open a gate to the real world while his corps does the dirty work. This cross formation he has set up seems to work towards that effect. Unfortunately, we're a little short on mon-power so we're going to have to leave him alone to start out with. It'll take awhile for him to break through, so as long as we get to him before that happens we'll be fine."

"Do you really want to leave it to chance like that? Once false move and he's in the real world," Cody said worriedly.

"We don't really have a choice. Depending on how the battles are doing, I hope that Sora, or perhaps even TK, could sneak over there and keep him occupied for awhile, but I don't want to state anything for certain until we find out how each battle is going to go. We're looking at a three-front war, and communication is going to be essential. Keep the other sides posted, and always keep your ears towards the other battles. Remember that they stopped him in '27 when a Canadian digi-destined's MagnaAngemon used his Gate of Destiny. That's what we're going for this time. It may be the only attack he's susceptible to."

Matt walked to the center of the car. The other humans stood in a circle. The seven slowly put a hand in the center, until all had one in the pile. "This is it. There may only be seven, but that's how many of us started out, and we got through. Whether we were part of that seven, or a late addition to the team, we are all digi-destined. And now it's time to prove it."

"For the digi-destined!" The seven shouted as they each raised a hand simultaneously. 

It was time to go back to doing what they all did best. Including Takato, the newest and perhaps the last digi-destined the world would ever see.

"Gomamon, digivolve to Ikkakumon!" The water front had its vessel.

"All aboard," said Joe, a little nervously. It had been awhile since he rode his partner into battle.

Ironically, Takato and Veemon had an easier time scaling the beast than Joe did. Joe also had the added weight of a backpack with basic medical supplies. They helped him up before looking back down to Cody. He was already positioned in Submarimon and about to dive. Takato and Joe both turned their communication headsets on.

"Am I coming in okay?" 

"Clear as the water, Cody." Takato replied. Cody raised a hand from within Submarimon and they dove under. Joe and Takato could see the two submerged quite a ways. 

"Okay, Ikkakumon, let's move." Joe gave the order, and the marine squad was on their way. They were already gambling. This was the easiest way to get to MarineDevimon, but not the fastest. 

They were only halfway when they realized the error they made.

"Shit... he's bio-emerging already," Matt swore into the headsets, "Are the other teams there yet?" 

TK answered promptly, "We're on top of it. Or I should say Kari's on top of it... or rather Angewomon... wait now LadyDevimon's on top... damn this never gets less entertaining to watch."

Joe exhaled and turned on his mike. "We're not quite there yet." 

"I'll go ahead and keep him on dry land," Cody said. 

Ikkakumon's passengers watched as Submarimon blasted forward. "We'll get there as fast as we can. Be careful, Cody!" Joe replied before turning to his partner, "Full speed ahead please. And get ready to digivolve as soon as we get to the spot."

"Sure thing!" 

"Giga Missile!" SkullSatamon easily dodged MetalGarurumon's attack and dove in for his own counter.

"Skull Hammer!" It connected and knocked MetalGarurumon over. Hououmon dove in for the kill, but SkullSatamon repelled that just as easily.

"U-Level my ass..." Matt muttered from the secure location where he and Sora were watching.

"Hopefully the others are having better luck. It's going to take both of us to topple this guy."

Joe, Takato, and Veemon jumped down from Ikkakumon's back just in time. 

"Ikkakumon digivolve to Zudomon!" Zudomon wasted no time in launching an attack at MarineDevimon. "Vulcan's Hammer!" 

MarineDevimon jumped out of the way. Zudomon ran after it, engaging MarineDevimon hand to tentacle. A thrust from Zudomon's horn landed the first official blow. 

"I'm surfaced right now Joe, just waiting for orders," Cody told Joe through the headset.

"Let's see how this turns out. I think we're winning right now," Joe replied.

"Famous last words," said Veemon.

As much as Zudomon seemed to have the upper hand, it was a legitimate battle. Punches thrown, attacks launched, and plenty of collateral damage to the area. Fortunately, Gatomon had the entire island evacuated long before the armies arrived. File Island was now a desolate battlefield for good and evil to have one more squabble.

"Evil Wind!" MarineDevimon whisked Zudomon backwards, barely touching the giant. Then MarineDevimon charged forth. Zudomon quickly countered, flipping MarineDevimon over his massive shoulders... and into the sea behind them.

"Not good!" Takato yelled. MarineDevimon had an advantage over Zudomon when in the water.

"Don't worry! Cody, we're going to phase two!" Joe screamed into the headset.

As Submarimon submerged deeper into the water, Zudomon faced his foe and began to glow.

"Zudomon digivolve to Plesiomon!!" The evolution formed something smaller now, but Plesiomon was more at home in the seas, and an M-Level to boot.

"Dark Deluge!" MarineDevimon wasn't impressed, and spat ink into the waters. Within seconds, the coast was polluted with the poison. Plesiomon had no trouble paddling its fins to keep the gunk away, but Takato and Joe were concerned for another. 

Without warning, Takato ran down the shoreline to where he last saw Submarimon. Using his headset, he frantically called, "Cody? Did that stuff get you? Are you all right?"

Cody replied instantly, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little darker down here."

"Yeah, I wouldn't surface any time soon. That stuff looks painful."

Kari jumped in, a little frantic, "Cody?! What happened Cody?" 

"Don't worry Kari," Takato tried to calm her down, "We're holding our own on this side. How are you doing?"

"We're doing just fine, Takato." In true fashion, Angewomon and LadyDevimon were having their traditional catfight. Also in true fashion, Angewomon was winning.

"Matt," TK yelled into the headset, "It looks like Angewomon has things under control here. Should I make a run on Daemon now?" TK turned the mike off and smiled at Kari. "If I stick around here too long, I'm going to get a nosebleed."

Matt was quick with a response. "Go for it, TK. SkullSatamon's definitely keeping Sora and I occupied for awhile. Just don't get Angemon killed. We need him."

"Roger," TK answered, then held a digivice towards Patamon. "We're outta here Patamon."

"Patamon digivolve to Angemon!" Angemon managed to pick TK up, despite how much bigger his partner had gotten.

"Be careful TK!" Kari yelled as she watched the takeoff from the ground.

LadyDevimon noticed the commotion. "Not so fast!" "Black Wing!" 

Angemon easily dodged her attack, and he and TK headed for Infinity Mountain.

"Leave them alone, you're still dealing with me!" Angewomon shouted as she charged after the agent of darkness. LadyDevimon quickly dodged the attack and traced Angemon's takeoff to the ground. 

"Not for long..." LadyDevimon had found a new target. And she was still watching the boys fly away. 

As any good Digimon would, Angewomon flew to her partner's rescue, "Kari, look out!" 

"Darkness Wave!" 

Angewomon wasn't going to be fast enough... but again she proved to be a good Digimon.

"Angewomon digivolve to... Magnadramon!" The extra boost of speed was plenty to dive in and sweep Kari from danger.

"That was too close. Thanks Magnadramon." Kari reached for her mike. "TK, maybe you should get back here. I just had a close call. I'm okay, but..."

"But you forgot about me sweetie!" LadyDevimon swooped in from close range as Magnadramon tried to get Kari into safety. "Black Wing!" Magnadramon had no way to defend it with Kari on her back.

Five seconds later, Magnadramon was de-digivolving into Gatomon, who was much smaller, and much less capable of flying.

"Gatomon!!" Kari fell helplessly, and Gatomon was too wounded to land on her own feet, much less help Kari do the same. 

"Kari..." moaned the Digimon as her partner fell onto the ground, flat on her back. 

"KARI!!" TK was only able to watch them crash to the ground.

Angemon swooped down to allow TK to drop down to tend to her. As he did, he looked up at LadyDevimon.

"LadyDevimon! You're going to live just long enough to regret that... but not much longer."

The female devil laughed at her extreme opposite. "Is that so? Just let me clean up the trash and we'll see about that!" 

Meanwhile, TK forced back his initial rage upon seeing Kari. She wasn't getting up, despite his pleading. He turned on his communicator. "Joe!! Joe! Kari's hurt! I think it's serious!" 

"What was that, TK?"

"LadyDevimon just smoked Magnadramon while Kari was riding her. They both fell. Magnadramon's down to C-Level."

"Damn... where's Gatomon?"

"Black Wing!" TK looked up just in time to see LadyDevimon clean up the trash.

"Oh shit..." TK froze.

"What is it TK?" Joe made sure to keep the line open.

"I think she just killed Gatomon," mumbled TK.

"Oh shit is right. I'll be over there as soon as I can to help Kari! Get the egg if you can! It's all you can do to save Gatomon."  

TK snapped out of his trance as Angemon engaged LadyDevimon. "But I can't just leave Kari here!" 

The doctor's orders were loud and harsh. "If she just fell, moving her may make it even worse. There's nothing you can do for Kari! So have Angemon deal with the bitch while you get that fucking egg!!" 

TK sighed. He looked at Kari. Tears were already forming in his eyes. For now, he had no choice. "Right, Joe." 

He ran in and snatched Gatomon's digi-egg just as it rose to make the journey to Primary Village.

"But Joe!" Takato said as he and Veemon chased after the doctor, "I know you have to get to Kari, but what are we supposed to do?" Plesiomon had MarineDevimon on the ropes, but wasn't able to deliver the final blow after fifteen minutes of fighting. Takato was trying not to panic. It wasn't the first time a friend's partner had died, but unlike last time he was determined to keep his cool. 

"Handle it!" Joe shouted back. 

"But Joe! Cody and I can't defeat MarineDevimon without Plesiomon!" 

Joe turned back quickly. "Who said I was taking Plesiomon? He's staying here. Make sure he finishes off that squid."

"But what about you? Are you going to be alright alone?"

After a moment of thinking, he responded. "Good point. Veemon? You're coming with me."

"But wait, he's my..."

Perhaps he was, but Veemon ran up to Joe and led him down the path into the woods. "Right Joe! Good luck Takato!"

Before he knew it, Takato was alone on the beach. He was watching two Mega-Level Digimon duking it out in the murky water and was overhearing TK discussing the details about Gatomon's death and Kari's injury; neither were soothing to listen to. 

"Hey Takato! Are you there?" Takato had zoned out for a second, and didn't hear Cody calling him over the communicator.

Takato turned his mike on and responded. "Uh, yeah, Cody. Right here."

"It's still hard for me to see. How are they doing?"

"Gatomon's still dead, and TK's probably bio-merging with Patamon right about now..." Takato mumbled.

"I mean here! How's Plesiomon doing?"

Joe's M-Level seemed more drained without his partner nearby, and was starting to feel the effects. He was still keeping MarineDevimon at bay, but not by much. After watching the battle closely for a minute, Takato said something to that extent to Cody.

"We may have to help out then. Or should we just see if MarineDevimon keeps fighting?"

"He looks pretty tired, Cody. Let's let Plesiomon stick this out for now." 

"Roger, Takato," Cody broke communication for a moment, before resuming transmission. "Oh and one question- what the heck is bio-merging?"

"Never mind, Cody. It doesn't matter anymore."

Angemon didn't stay Angemon for long. And LadyDevimon didn't stay healthy for long.

TK was keeping an eye on the battle between LadyDevimon and MagnaAngemon, but he already had his hands full with Kari. 

"Please, Kari, say something." TK took her hand, careful to make sure Gatomon's digiegg was secured with his other arm.

Kari wasn't responding. Her hand was warm, but she wasn't acknowledging any of TK's pleas.

"Dammit Kari! Wake up!" TK closed his eyes and leaned his own back against a rock. He forced back tears as he checked on the battle one more time.

"Angel Rod!" MagnaAngemon struck a clean blow, reducing LadyDevimon to bits of data. One of the three minions was destroyed.

TK received little solace from the victory. It wasn't going to wake Kari up. But he had the responsibility to report it.

"Matt," said TK as he watched his partner reduce himself back down to an R-Level. Patamon wasn't happy about the kill either. "MagnaAngemon took care of her."

Matt sighed in relief from his post. "Good work. Stay with Kari and let Patamon rest." 

Joe interrupted. "I'm almost there, TK. Just hang on."

TK acknowledged Joe, but continued to lean back on the rock. Patamon joined him in staring idly at Kari. She had been out for some time. Even TK could only sustain a finite amount of hope. 

MarineDevimon wasn't sinking, and Plesiomon instead was the one wearing out. As Plesiomon began to break towards the beach, MarineDevimon followed, remaining in the water. Meanwhile, Takato realized that it had to end soon, and fully intended to make sure the good guys won this battle.

"Cody, move forward and get into position to strike him on my signal," Takato said, standing up and running towards Plesiomon. He cupped his hands and yelled, "Plesiomon! Get an opening and knock him straight backwards!"

He didn't wait for Joe's M-Level to acknowledge. Instead, he turned on the mike, "Okay, hopefully Plesiomon will send him backwards into the water. Then smoke him."

"Right."

Takato looked up just in time to see Plesiomon attack.

"Water Tail Blaster!" MarineDevimon wasn't hit hard, but did fall back a little.

"NOW Cody!" 

"Oxygen Torpedo!" Takato heard over the communicator. Suddenly, MarineDevimon was reeling backwards after the unexpected underwater attack. 

"Shaking Pulse!" A final attack from Plesiomon did the trick. MarineDevimon slowly deleted into oblivion.

"Did we get him?" Cody asked.

"We got him, Cody, you're good to surface where you are," Takato announced. Knowing his duty to report the news to everybody else, he continued, "Got that everybody? MarineDevimon's out of here. What should we do now?"

Matt was listening on the other end, "Good work Takato, Cody. Get Submarimon down to R-Level and get your butts over to the other side to help Joe and TK with Kari."

"I have a better idea," Joe interrupted, "Takato, hop on Plesiomon and send him around to get a stretcher and one of the rifles from base. Cody, stay in Submarimon for now. And hurry it up, Kari needs to get back to base fast." 

"Right, Joe." Takato had already ran for Plesiomon. He hopped on his back, "Back to base, and step on it."

Rather than sailing around the island, as Takato expected, Plesiomon took flight and sailed over it.

"Uh... Cody... I'm flying..." 

"I see you," said Cody. "I'll meet you where Kari is. You'd be surprised how fast we can go."

"Please say she's going to be okay." TK could only watch as Joe administered CPR on Kari.

"Well..." Joe lifted his ear from her chest. "Her heart's going again." He sat back and cleaned his glasses. "I guess you could say that's a good sign."

"But??" 

"It's not safe to move her. She might have spinal damage. And that's beyond my level of expertise. When Takato gets her we can get her back to base. I'll do what I can from there."

"What should we do now?" Patamon descended from above.

"Well, her shoulder's banged up. I should be able to bandage it up without moving the neck too much."

As Joe pulled some bandages from his backpack, TK leaned in closer. "Why can't we move the neck?"

Joe moved in closer and carefully lifted Kari's arm. "Because once false move and she could be paralyzed."

"I've got the stretcher. Anything else you need, Joe?" Matt was listening to the conversation of his comrades. Takato had apparently reached Mole.

"Yeah, there should be a neck brace somewhere in there. Check one of the boxes," Joe replied, adding, "And don't forget that rifle.

Matt quietly swore. Things weren't turning out so well. The loss of Gatomon was huge. Two of Daemon's corps had been defeated, but at the expense of Kari and her partner. To make matters worse, SkullSatamon was still keeping MetalGarurumon and Hououmon at bay. 

"Matt, we should really think about what we want all the other Digimon to do once Kari's back at base," Sora said, sticking close to her husband as they watched their Digimon battle.

"They're going to have to attack Daemon. No choice in the matter." Matt replied. Daemon had been left unchecked this whole time, and something needed to disrupt his efforts to break into the real world.

"Yeah, but Ankylomon will take forever to get there, Plesiomon's spent from the last battle, and we shouldn't risk letting MagnaAngemon fight him alone."

"So what's your sugges... look out!" Matt pulled Sora out of the path of MetalGarurumon as the M-Level slid past them.

Sora was undaunted. "Let's get reinforcements over here to take out SkullSatamon. Then everybody's free to attack Daemon at once."

Matt nodded. "Good plan, but we don't know how long that's going to take."

"Well do you have any better ideas?" she fired back.

"No, that's why we're using it," Matt spoke into the communicator, "Guys, as soon as Takato and Cody get to Kari, send Ankylomon this way to help us."

"What about Daemon?" Cody replied. 

"Give Plesiomon a chance to rest, then send him after Daemon."

"He's a sitting duck against Daemon!" 

"How about this? If Ankylomon helps out now, and Angemon helps us after Kari's back at base, we should be able to afford sending Hououmon to back Plesiomon up," 

Sora's solution seemed to tide everybody over, so they all agreed and went back to their business.

Takato slid off Plesiomon, towing a neck brace, a rifle, and a board that acted as the stretcher. TK took both and ran to Joe. Takato followed as Plesiomon took a momentary rest. 

"Okay, we'll need Cody to help carry her back, but we can get her on the stretcher." Joe was already attaching the neck brace. He finished, and turned to Takato. "Takato, take her feet and make sure she stays level. TK, very carefully, on the count of three, help me lift her to the stretcher."

The sight of Kari lying unconscious was difficult for Takato to witness. Her shoulder was already bandaged up and her clothes were torn. Yet Takato forged on, keeping her steady as Joe and TK carefully got her on the stretcher. 

As Joe fastened her in, Cody ran up to the trio. "Ankylomon's already helping Matt and Sora. What can I do?"

"Hold the egg while we carry her back," TK answered, "Patamon and Veemon, keep us covered."

"How am I supposed to do that when I can't digivolve?" Veemon asked.

"R-Levels can attack too," TK replied.

"Okay, Takato, Pick a side."

 As Joe so ordered, Takato did. Takato slung the rifle around his shoulder first as he took the stretcher on the left side. TK held the front end while Joe took the back. Cody held on to Gatomon's egg and stood opposite Takato.

They were near the train tracks, so the walk was clear and level. Patamon led the charge and Veemon took the rear, making sure nothing would sneak up from behind. Unlike last time, a sneak attack was what they received.

"Grenade Destroyer." The attack caught Veemon off guard and knocked him to the ground.

The grenade shot was awfully close to TK and Joe, but they made sure not to drop Kari.

"What the hell was that?" TK asked.

"Get Kari out of here," Veemon said as a Gardromon stepped out of the bushes. "Looks like somebody didn't evacuate with the others."

TK didn't argue, and advanced Kari further, but Patamon flew overhead, "I can help!" 

"Don't worry about it! Keep moving! Takato and I can take care of it!" 

The three Chosen looked at Takato. He hadn't even looked back, but realized that this was his battle.

"Go ahead guys. We'll take care of him," Takato said, letting go of the stretcher and turning around. The others silently let him. They had more pressing concerns.

He took the rifle. It was still uncomfortable to wield, and he still hated to use it. But Veemon was in trouble, and he had to come through for his partner.

"Sorry Kazu," he whispered as he aimed and pulled the trigger.

The resulting blast did little against Gardromon's heavy armor. Gardromon instead turned on Takato. Two more shots, neither to any avail. Gardromon aimed his turrets at Takato.

"Takato!" Veemon quickly stood up and dove after his partner. Then he started to glow.

As TK, Joe, and Cody assisted Kari back to the train, Joe couldn't help but look back. "Holy..." he muttered before turning to the other two, "Guys... you really should see this!" 

TK was still fixated on Kari's safety. "We have to get Kari back! If Takato wants this battle, let's give it to him." 

"But I think Veemon's digivolving!" 

That did it. TK and Cody both looked back to see it.

"Veemon digivolve to ExVeemon!" The newly formed C-Level immediately fired his attack, "Vee Laser!"

Gardromon was struck in the back. A couple rifle blasts finished him off, giving Takato the chance to look at what he helped create. He wasn't Veemon's partner, but he still was able to get him to digivolve. 

"Is Kari back yet?" Matt's yelling over the intercom refused to allow Takato to enjoy the moment.

He turned his mike on and offered the response. "She's getting there. We had a Gardromon cause some trouble... but ExVeemon and I took care of it," Takato stressed the "Ex," just to drive the point home. He smiled and rejoined the others before Matt could realize what had transpired.

When he did, Matt turned to Sora, "Did he say ExVeemon?" 

Sora was too busy watching Ankylomon drive a Tail Hammer into SkullSatamon's gut to care. "Maybe you heard wrong. Veemon can't digivolve without Davis." SkullSatamon was on the ground, and both MetalGarurumon and Ankylomon were ready to pounce on it. She changed the subject. "Matt, it looks like we finally have this under control. Can I make a run on Daemon now?"

"Yeah. Plesiomon should be there by now. But be careful."

She called for Hououmon, jumped on the back of the phoenix, and flew north. As soon as she was gone, SkullSatamon avoided two attacks at once and cast an attack that temporarily paralyzed MetalGarurumon. 

"Fuck..." Matt rubbed his temples and spoke into the headset, "TK, get over here with Angemon. This bastard's not going down like he's supposed to." He was growing frustrated, and had a severe headache since he learned about Kari. Given how they were doing, he tried not to imagine the mood he'd be in if they were actually losing.

Thanks to Takato, the rescue workers got Kari aboard Mole safely. While Joe worked on his patient, the youths and ExVeemon ran to the SkullSatamon front, dragging TK along with.

"Sorry, TK, but Angemon needs your support," Cody said as he and Takato prevented TK from looking back.

"Yeah, there's no way he and Ankylomon could DNA Digivolve," Takato added.

Cody stopped. "Wait, wait, what's DNA Digivolving?"

"You don't rememb... oh yeah." Even thought it had been a couple years since Takato had seen the series, his memory of the Daemon battle of 2003 was still significantly greater than Cody's. "I suppose that's not possible." Takato looked up at TK. "Is it?"

"Honestly... I don't have a clue. But if it'll buy us some time, it's worth a shot." TK took Cody's hand and ran into the woods. "C'mon Cody, I'll show you how it works." Takato, ExVeemon, and Patamon were right behind them, the latter digivolving on the way. As soon as they reached the battle, Cody called Ankylomon over. 

"Cody, hold your D-3 out and watch the fireworks." After making sure Cody was obeying, TK yelled to the troops, "DNA Digivolve!" 

Ankylomon ducked a staff strike from SkullSatamon and looked over at TK, confused. "You sure we can do that?"

"Would you rather stand there and let this guy pound you all day?" Angemon swooped in.

"Hell no! Let's get large angel boy!" Ankylomon smiled and it was on. "Ankylomon!"

"Angemon!" 

"DNA Digivolve to..." As they announced it simultaneously, Matt tilted his head. He didn't know what was going on, and he hadn't even lost his memory.

"Shakkoumon!" In a flash, a giant was standing in their places.

"Oh yeah..." Matt suddenly remembered and ran up to TK, Cody, and Takato. "Thank you to whoever remembered that."

"Uh... you're welcome I guess," Takato replied, before looking up at TK, "You mean none of you thought about using him?"

TK put his hands up. "It's been 30 years, give us a break. Besides, I didn't know if it would work now. It's hard to keep track of what powers we have or don't have, you know?"

"Not really, we're as unrestricted now as we've ever been," Matt answered. He looked up at Shakkoumon. "Okay, um... Shakkoumon? Finish this damn thing off so we can move on to the main event."

"Justice Beam." Shakkoumon attacked... and missed. SkullSatamon bounded out of the way easily, as he had been doing all day.

"Giga Missile!" Fortunately, Shakkoumon's presence forced SkullSatamon to forget about MetalGarurumon, who easily finished him off.

"All right, now can we wrap this up? I'm getting restless." Now that Veemon had digivolved for the first time in years, his C-Level form was getting restless. He wanted more action.

"Right. Let's..." Matt stopped. He was talking to ExVeemon. It wasn't a miscommunication- Veemon digivolved. Matt raised an eyebrow towards Takato.

"Takato, did you make Veemon digivolve?"

Takato smiled. "Yeah. I was in trouble and Veemon digivolved to..."

Matt interrupted, "Damn, you're just full of surprises." It was the same story that caused everyone else's partner Digimon to digivolve. "Dynamic digivolution" was the official jargon. When the need to save a human partner temporarily raises the synch level to above 100, the Digimon evolves without the partner ordering it. A typical scenario... if it weren't for the fact that Takato wasn't Veemon's partner.

"Whatever, let's go finish this. Everyone involved in a freak digivolution drop to R-Level and climb aboard MetalGarurumon."

"But who are you going to ride with?" Takato said with a big grin.

Both Plesiomon and Hououmon were engaging Daemon. As expected, they both had their hands full. Daemon did his best to aggravate the two M-Levels, dodging every attack with his usual bursts of laughter. Sora didn't get involved. She just took cover and prayed for Hououmon's safety.

MetalGarurumon swung around first. He dropped off everybody except his own partner just outside the crater Daemon had been occupying. 

"None of that DNA stuff this time, guys. MagnaAngemon has to open up the gate, and Ankylomon has to help make sure he falls in," Matt gave his orders before flying off. Since Daemon was occupied with Hououmon and Plesiomon, he capitalized on the situation. Hopefully it would allow Ankylomon time to jump in and TK to get Patamon up to U-Level.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" The attack connected squarely, forcing Daemon to turn and look at its aggressor.

"Evil Flapping." Daemon fired back, using his mighty wings to send a gust of dark wind in MetalGarurumon's direction. Matt guided the wolf out of the way, but the powerful gust began to knock trees over. 

As Matt surveyed where the trees would land, he finally found Sora's hiding place underneath him.

"SORA!" Matt dove off his partner after Sora. Sora heard the scream and caught him. The two tumbled safely out of the way of the falling trees.

"Holy shit, are you two okay?" TK saw the incident and contacted them over the communicator.

Sora was trying to catch her breath, but managed a reply. "Yeah. We're okay. That was too close though." 

One look at Matt and she realized she spoke too soon. he was clutching his arm and moaning, "Ow, shit..."

Sora quickly released herself from his hold, rose to her knees and looked him over. "What's wrong?"

"My arm... hurts... bad..."

"Do you think it's broken?"

Matt feigned surprise. "Think? There's no 'think' involved her. It's broken. It is so damn broken. Ow!" 

"I'll call Joe." Sora was about to turn on the communicator when Matt shook his head.

"No." With Sora's help, he rose to his feet. "Let Joe worry about Kari. He can look at this later. I'll live."

"You're acting all noble to make up for the whole Riley thing, aren't you?" she said with a smile.

Matt winced, but forced a smile. "Yeah, but for the record- I saved your life because I really didn't want to see you get hurt."

"This is why I hate you, Matt." In spite of her words, she remained smiling. "You make it really hard for me to stay mad at you." She added a kiss to the cheek.

He was still smiling as well, but it was now more of a fiendish grin. He wanted this all to end. "Sora, get the digivice out of my pocket. It's time we take care of him." As his wife dug through his pocket, he turned to his right. His faithful partner MetalGarurumon was awaiting orders. "Sic him, boy!" 

As powerful as Daemon was, the combined strength of three Megas and a Champion were enough to keep him distracted while MagnaAngemon got into position.

"Okay, everybody, on the count of three, simultaneous attack from everybody. And get your digivices ready in case we need more help." He was clutching his shoulder, and Sora was clutching him, but Matt was still giving orders. He took a deep breath as the other Chosen moved into a position where they could easily command their partners. "One... two..."

"Tail Hammer!"

"Ice Wolf Bite!"

"Star-Light Explosion!" 

"Water Tail Blaster!"

"Gate of Destiny!" The final attack was MagnaAngemon's, as he opened up the gate that would judge Daemon guilty and cast him into the world of darkness.

All of the attacks connected, phasing Daemon just enough to allow the three flying M-Levels to grab him and lead him through the gate. It didn't take long for him to fight back.

"Okay guys, let's see some digivices!" Matt allowed Sora to clutch his arm as he sent a beam of light towards Daemon with his digivice. 

As Sora, TK, and Cody did the same, Takato pulled out his D-Power. It was different than all of the others. But he held it towards Daemon, shining one additional light on him. Even Daemon couldn't break this force, and was sent through the gate, to be sealed in darkness for another decade. 

The gate closed. It was over. As soon as he realized it, Takato pocketed his D-Power. The communicator was no longer a discomfort when he pulled it off his head. As he watched MagnaAngemon descend from above, he assumed the others would revel in the victory.

"Bulls-eye, baby." He turned around and saw Veemon smiling. The Digimon flashed Takato a thumbs up. All had been made right by the digi-destined.

"Hey, Takato, we didn't say you could take the headset off," TK reprimanded Takato before continuing with his conversation over the airwaves, "Did you check the radar yet?"

Takato was confused. The battle was supposed to be over. The good guys had won. Yet TK was talking with Joe as if they were about to move to another phase. 

All became clear when TK started to ask about Kari. Takato looked to the ground. Perhaps his celebration was uncalled.

For a moment, Takato wanted to race back and put the headset back on, but he didn't. He was still excited about it all. Kari dampened his spirits a little, but he was too happy to ruin it by sitting back and listening to a medical report.

"Good work, Takato." Cody snuck up to him and extended a hand. Cody was still wearing the headset and presumably still listening to Joe's report. But at least he was congratulating his teammates. Takato shook Cody's hand and offered his own words. But even though Cody was acknowledging victory, he too wasn't enthusiastic about it.

Takato almost looked away the first time he saw Matt walk by. He was still clutching his arm, walking with the help of Sora. But despite it all,  his was the first smile Takato saw. Matt and Sora even exchanged a quick kiss before they reached the Tamer.

"Nice work, Takato. Couldn't have done it without you. Now let's get out of here. I look forward to sleeping the entire way back." Despite his injury, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"Maybe after you let Joe get that in a cast," Sora replied.

"Thanks, but how's Kari doing?" Figuring that Matt was in a good mood, Takato hoped he wouldn't be too harsh about him losing the headset.

"That's why you keep the headset on." TK, however, was still nearby, and spat back immediately.

"Jeez TK, leave him alone, don't tell me you weren't this excited the first time." Matt came to Takato's defense before answering his question, "As for Kari, she's definitely going to live, but since we don't have access to a CAT scan or anything, Joe can't tell if there's any permanent spinal damage." 

Matt suddenly heard something and talked back to Joe, "A wheelchair, really?" A pause. "I'm sure we can arrange it. It'll be easier than a CAT scan, that's for sure. When do we need it?" A second pause. Takato really was starting to regret leaving the headset behind. "Well, when do you expect her to come out of the coma?"

Takato began to walk away as Matt continued to listen. TK and Cody were intently eavesdropping. Then Takato heard Matt say, "Look, we can talk about all this when you're putting my arm back together. We have to get back to Mole and pack up. Good work Joe. Over and out." 

As Takato turned back around, he saw Matt handed his headset to Sora. "Well, one minor injury, one severe injury, and one Digimon casualty," Matt remarked, "Not bad."

"Not bad?" Takato asked, "How is that not bad? Gatomon's gone. Kari could be in a wheelchair."

"Gatomon will come back someday. And with a fall like that, Kari could have been killed. This was nothing. We got lucky."

"Daemon was over-confident," TK agreed, "He bio-emerged too soon and didn't bring enough forces."

Sora nodded. "He was tougher in '27, but I guess that's understandable. I mean, this time he only had to deal with seven digi-destined instead of seven billion. He scaled back accordingly."

"I doubt he'll make that mistake again. Next time will be tougher," Matt concluded.

That was the driving point for Takato. He had survived a major adventure- a battle with worlds hanging in the balance. Everybody else was doing their job. Was he to remain in the Digital World forever? Stuck as a naive fifteen-year-old and making a living out of battling Daemon once a decade? Was he going to be like the others- and lose the thrills and the fun of it all? 

Takato was in a foreign place, left without the tools he used to tame the world and make an adventure out of it. He was a child in an adult world, and for the first time since his arrival, he wanted out of it.

"Takato? Are you alright?" Sora turned around to see Takato fall to his knees.

"I want to go home." 

Matt didn't turn around. He didn't want Takato to see the smile on his face.

"We all do." It was the same stock reply he always gave to everybody else who said the exact same thing.  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Seven- Rebirth"**

**Author's Notes  
**I said this would fluctuate in length, and this happened to turn out to be one of the extremely long stages. Unlike previous stories, I have few issues about making this really long, since I needed it to say what I needed to say. There are only two stages left in Level 1 and I can't imagine either being this long.  
  
This is the action stage, and the turning point in the story. Hopefully things will begin to clear up and you have a better understanding of exactly what this story is about. Also, there's more clues to the future of the Chosen in this chapter, including some revelations on Daemon's previous invasions and TK's marriage. In case you haven't figured it out, I have a full timeline of events laid out from 2003 to the present and all the little snippets that seem confusing are merely burps of history that seem strange out of context. Trust me, I know why Matt was fantasizing about Riley.  
  
Hououmon and Plesiomon are the Mega Digimon for Sora and Joe. Magnadramon appeared very briefly as Kari's M-Level in the Digimon movie. Credit the Digimon Encyclopedia for all of the attack names. All of his entries are taken from the series, which may have been a problem if both Hououmon and Plesiomon didn't make cameos in Tamers.  
  
To avoid any further confusion about the synch levels, I might as well explain it in-depth here. As Matt said before, they measure the bond between partners, and fluctuate constantly based on the situation. In order to digivolve to Champion, a Digimon needs to be at 100. The levels increase to 200 for Ultimate and 300 for Mega. If it's at a certain level normally, a partner can make a Digimon evolve at will. Otherwise, they need to rely on the dynamic digivolutions to temporarily raise the level above the threshold and evolve. This is an example of how events introduced in the early days were scientifically explored by researchers like Izzy in the future.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Six of The Connection


	7. Rebirth

**_Level 1: Worlds_****  
**  
_The Siberian War lasted from 2012-2014. More than 6,000 people and Digimon died.  
In 2014, the United Nations received more power to act as a worldwide government.  
In 2018, Digimon received the right to elect their own UN ambassador.  
On November 1, 2018, the Digital World elected their first representative- Tai Kamiya.  
__  
_**Stage Seven- Rebirth****  
 ****  
**He was on yet another train heading toward yet another destination. It was already starting to feel routine. Although he had never been to the steel terminal before, Takato wasn't excited by the prospect of visiting. Ever since the battle, he wasn't excited about anything. For all the months he had spent in the Digital World, Takato had been fooling himself. The world was just as harsh, just as cold, and just as deadly as when he left it. 

The desert the train rode through offered a view Takato could never see in the real world. Distant mesas jutted out of the bare earth toward a perfectly clear sky. All Takato could see was the ocean of endless blue above him. The real world was nowhere in sight.

It wasn't so much that Takato wanted to go home. Even if he could, he'd probably end up back in Okinawa, a place even more unsuitable for him than where he was now. His problem was far greater than being homesick. He had long since abandoned his friends. Henry, Rika, and even Jeri were fading memories. But if Takato didn't belong in the real world, and he didn't belong in the Digital World, where did he belong?

So far, the others hadn't shown any sympathy. Joe sat across the aisle, completely oblivious to Takato and focused on a sheet of paper in his lap. Every so often, he would smile and jot something down. He was serious only when thinking, breaking free of his frown only when a revelation came upon him, like he was leisurely piecing together a puzzle. Matt sat next to Joe, occasionally drifting off to sleep before being jolted awake by the bumpiness of the trail. Neither seemed to care that they were on this journey to have a wheelchair assembled for Kari.

"Matt, have a look at this," Joe said, showing Matt the sheet of paper, "How do you integrate this equation? My calculus is a little rusty."

After glancing at it for a second, Matt brushed it aside with his good arm. "Joe, I'm an astronaut, not a rocket scientist. I forgot how to do that long ago. What are you trying to figure out anyway?"

Joe brought the troubling equation closer to his face and lowered his glasses. "I'm trying to see if there's any chance of getting Gatomon back."

The words traveled over the aisle and caught Takato's interest. He turned to the men. "What do you mean? We got the egg; why wouldn't we get her back?"

Joe lowered the sheet of paper and explained, "We know we're going to get Kari's Digimon back. But we don't know if she can sustain herself at C-Level like Gatomon could before."

"For some reason, partnered Digimon have problems sustaining themselves above R-Level. And Gatomon won't be any different. Remember- she digivolved naturally before meeting Kari."

"Oh yeah," Joe said, crumpling up the sheet of paper. "Well, I guess we'll have to get used to calling her Salamon now." He tossed the paper aside and put his pencil away. "Are we there yet? I'm hungry."

"If I knew it would take this long, I would have brought some food," Matt said, adjusting the sling around his right arm.

"How's the arm holding up?" 

"Not too bad, although I really wish I was left-handed." Matt stood up and walked to the back of the car. "I can do the important stuff. That's all that matters," he said with a smile. "Speaking of which…" He opened the door to the bathroom and stepped in, slamming the door behind him.

"For someone who broke his arm, he's sure in a good mood," Takato said to Joe.

"Yeah. He obviously patched things up with Sora."

"How can you tell?" 

Joe smiled slyly. "Good old naïve Takato… I think it was part of the important stuff he was talking about."

Takato sighed. This was another problem. He was still fifteen. After almost two years in the Digital World, he was still fifteen. After ten, even a hundred more years in the Digital World, he would still be fifteen. 

"I hate not getting older," he pouted.

Joe laughed. "When you're my age, it's not such a bad thing. TK and Kari are lucky- they'll never have to turn 40."

"How old would you be if you weren't here?"

"Uh… I think I'd be 50. Scary to think about, isn't it?"

"Not really. There's a reason people get older."

"And there's also a reason older people wish they were your age," Joe quietly let out a laugh, "Isn't it funny how we're never satisfied with what we are now. You want to grow up, and I would be a lot happier living here if I was younger."

"I guess I'm never going to get to experience anything resembling a coming-of-age moment."

"You helped saved the world, Takato, I think that counts. The other stuff is trivial- we can probably throw together a coming-of-age ceremony when you would have turned 20. For all I care, you can drink alcohol if you really want to. And for all intents and purposes, you're probably better off not knowing about sex. You shouldn't want to know what you missed."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just trust me. We've had some problems in the past…"

While the road team handled the purchase of the wheelchair, Sora and TK were responsible for making the cabin wheelchair-accessible. 

"I never realized how many accessibility violations this place had until now," Sora said as she stood in front of the offending cabin, scratching her chin.

"Thank you, Cody," TK replied, scratching his.

"I'm only saying we've got our work cut out for us."

"I don't think so. Joe measured the doorways. They'll make sure it'll fit inside. We just have to worry about getting it in there."

After a few seconds of pondering silently, they settled on a plan and set out to take some measurements. In contrast to the previous days of careful preparation and violent battle, the camp was completely silent except for the infrequent operating noises from the research station and Sora's quiet, cheerful, humming. Even the day designated for recuperation from the battle was filled with leisurely conversations. But with three heading to steel terminal, one in a coma, and Cody occupying himself indoors, the pleasant atmosphere gave way to a quiet lull. 

As a result, Sora's humming was driving TK crazy. It meant she was in a good mood. The reason wasn't so much problematic as it was annoying. TK knew it wasn't intentional, but it felt like she was rubbing it in.

"I take it the marital crisis is over," TK said abruptly, catching Sora off guard. She immediately returned her focus to the ground, and the measurement she was taking. She smiled, almost to the point of blushing.

"It's a safe assumption."

"Even with a broken arm he's probably better than me," he grumbled.

Sora let a laugh escape, before controlling herself. "Do I detect some sibling rivalry?"

"My dear sister-in-law, whatever are you talking about?" he said with a smile, looking down at his measurements. Immediately, he changed the subject. "Right about here, do you think?"

After scrutinizing TK's placement of the other end of the tape measure, Sora nodded. "Looks good."

"Takato, could you write this down?" TK called out.

"Takato's with Matt and Joe, remember?" 

"Right, right, right. Could you hold this in place?" 

Sora leaned over to keep the tape steady while TK fetched a pen and paper, as well as a small plastic stake. TK continued to make small talk as he wrote down the measurements. "Why's Takato with them anyway? He'd probably be more helpful here."

"Don't know. I guess he's been a bit down lately. I think Matt wanted to get him a little more involved." In the same breath, she pointed to the stake and asked, "Do you need a mallet or something?"

"Please. I wrote everything down, so don't worry about the tape." TK held the stake down as Sora got a mallet from the research building, "What's wrong with Takato, anyway? I hope he's not homesick or anything. He should be over that by now."

"I don't know what it is," she said from inside the shack, raising her voice to ensure that TK could hear her. "I guess he wasn't ready for all that violence. Or maybe it was Kari and Magnadramon." 

"Can't blame him for that," TK paused as Sora exited the building with a mallet. He held the stake down in place. "But if you ask me, he held up in that battle pretty well."

"I guess," she said as she pounded the stake down.

TK let her finish driving the stake in before continuing, "Think about it. He coordinated a simultaneous attack between Plesiomon and Submarimon, he drew a dynamic digivolution out of Veemon, and I noticed his digivice was restraining Daemon just as much as ours were. If you ask me, Takato did extremely well out there."

"I can't argue with that, but it doesn't mean he enjoyed it."

"Well, we didn't exactly treat it like a party either. I never want to go through that again. Seeing Kari fall like that, and not being able to help her. That was one of the worst experiences I've ever had."

Sora placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be alright."

"I know." TK rose from his knees and they began another task. "But I think I'm handling it okay. I know I can't blame myself. Neither of us were ready for it. I just hope she'll be all right in the end. It's not the first time I've had to cope with personal demons."

She responded by hugging him. TK silently let it reassure him, and exhaled a few of those demons with an exasperated sigh.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"You needed a hug," she said, releasing her grasp and returning to the job.

"Nice to see your crest is still glowing." He paused for a moment to let her get a short laugh in, then continued: "But if you ask me, Takato fit in perfectly with the rest of us. He didn't seem all that out of place until the battle was over and he cheered like a lunatic."

"Maybe you should have let him cheer instead of getting on his case about taking off his headset."

"Maybe, but he's not going to go into a chronic depression because he didn't get to celebrate. I still think there's something more to him that he's not showing us."

Sora shook her head. "I don't see anything wrong with Takato. He's a little overwhelmed by all of that carnage, but it'll pass in time. Meanwhile, he proved that he was a perfectly competent digi-destined, going beyond expectations to defend the world. At that age, we were all just like him. We were scared out of our minds, and still pulled off the impossible."

"I don't remember us being that distraught afterwards."

"You weren't exactly doing cartwheels that first time Angemon was recycled."

She had obviously struck a nerve, as TK raised his voice at her. "I was eight! And he got recycled ten minutes after going C-Level. I thought I dealt with that pretty well for my age."

"And I think Takato's dealing with this pretty well for his. He probably just needs a hug too."

They dropped the conversation and silently went about their work for a couple minutes. The silence was broken when Cody exited the cabin, almost tripping over the stakes.

"Look out, Cody. We're doing measurements for the ramp," TK said.

"Are you okay, Cody? You were in there for quite some time," Sora added.

Cody had been at Kari's side for the last half-hour. Neither TK nor Sora knew why he spent so long there, but felt it best not to disturb him.

"I... I don't feel good," Cody moaned. Immediately, TK and Sora dropped what they were doing and approached him.

Sora felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I'm suddenly feeling really disoriented. Claustrophobic even."

"Dizzy?" TK asked, to which Cody shook his head.

"Why don't you lie down inside?" Sora suggested, ready to lead him to the couch in the cabin.

"No, I'd rather be outside. It feels less cramped out here." Cody stepped down. TK and Sora led him past the markers, measurements, and stakes to a lawn chair. It was large enough for his small body to stretch out completely. 

"Is that better?"

"A little."

"Best thing is to get some rest until Joe comes back. Just let us know if you need anything," TK said.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for bothering you. I just feel really strange all of a sudden. Maybe it's something I ate."

The other two quietly returned their work, saying as little as possible to avoid disturbing Cody.

The wheelchair crew already had a rough idea of what they wanted, and supplied their plans to the Hagurumon who agreed to put the thing together. 

"No problem. We'll get right on it. Shouldn't take more than a couple hours," said one Hagurumon to Matt. 

"We'll just stick around then," Matt replied cautiously. With no arguments, the Hagurumon immediately went to work. Matt, Joe, Takato, and their bodyguard Veemon found a place to sit.

After making sure the Hagurumon weren't listening in, Joe said, "We don't really need to watch them put it together," 

"You can never be too careful with virus types," whispered Matt. 

"There's nothing wrong with virus types. They have just as much purpose as vaccines. Besides, I know these guys, they're perfectly honest."

"So why am I here?" Veemon asked.

"SOP," Matt replied, "We always bring a Digimon with for protection. Just in case. Understand?"

"Everything except SOP."

Before Matt could explain that it stood for "standard operating procedure," Takato jumped in, "I'm still surprised you wanted Veemon to come with us."

"Why not? Doesn't matter anyway, I doubt we're going to run into any problems. Besides, Gabumon and Gomamon are back on patrol." Since Daemon's influence was sure to be diminished for the next few years, Matt didn't expect nearly as many attacks as previous months. There would forever be violent uprisings by Digimon acting alone, but they would occur infrequently and would never require more than a few Champions to handle it.

The next thirty minutes were incredibly boring, as the four watched the parts of the wheelchair slowly come together. The Hagurumon weren't even close to assembling the finished product. Takato and Veemon were drifting off to sleep, while Matt was only staying awake because of his nap on the train. Joe was reading a book, occasionally looking up to check on the Hagurumon's progress.

"Joe, I'm going for a walk," Matt announced, standing up.

"Have fun," Joe replied, not bothering to look up.

Matt exited the Hagurumon workshop and walked around the surrounding city. The steel terminal had developed well as an industrial center, but there was an intrinsic appeal to such a place. It was clean, rigid, and metallic- a perfect counterbalance to the coarse, wild, and natural atmosphere of the rest of the world. 

After following the train tracks for a couple blocks, Matt caught something in the corner of his eye. For a second, it felt like he was being watched. He turned around and saw it for a brief second, just enough to confirm its presence. Matt chased after it, and caught it flying down a dead-end alley. The creature began to fly over the obstructing wall, but Matt held out a hand.

"Tentomon, wait! I want to talk!" 

Tentomon froze, hovering in mid-air. 

"Please. I need to talk to him. Just to make sure he's alright."

Finally, the insect spoke, "Were you looking for us?"

"No. We're here to build a wheelchair for Kari. She may be paralyzed. But please, it's been long enough."

Tentomon turned around. "I suppose." He flew past Matt and led him down a different street. After awhile he paused. 

"It's good to see you again, Matt."

Matt smiled. "Same here."

They arrived at a shack nearby. It blended in perfectly with the rest of the buildings in the town. 

"I don't know if he's ready to see you," Tentomon said.

"It doesn't matter. He needs to know about some things."

Tentomon opened the door and Matt edged his way inside. The room was small, but served all of Izzy and Tentomon's purposes without discomfort. Izzy laid face down on his futon, reading a stack of papers.

"Did they have the one I wanted?" Izzy shouted to Tentomon without looking.

"I'm going to check right now. I ran into an old friend that wanted to talk to you," Tentomon replied before flying back through the door. 

"What do you..." Izzy turned around and saw Matt. Immediately, he frowned. "Oh," he mumbled before returning to his papers.

"It's been awhile," Matt said, doing his best to sound firm, while not threatening.

"Almost three years." Knowing he wouldn't be getting back to his papers any time soon, Izzy set them aside. He stood up and turned his desk chair around, taking a seat. "How did you break your arm? In the attack against Daemon?"

"Oh..." Matt almost forgot about his arm. "Yeah. I broke it while saving Sora, so it doesn't really hurt as much. Besides, I got off lucky compared to Kari."

"What happened to Kari?" He turned back around, suddenly concerned.

"Don't know. Fell from Magnadramon. She may be paralyzed. Gatomon was killed too."

Izzy glanced to the floor, ashamed of himself. "I should have been there. I was so tempted to join you."

"We could have used the help. Is this where you've been hiding?"

"I'm not hiding. I just... needed to be on my own."

"There's no reason for you to be alone, Izzy. All we have is each other. I'm sure the others will forgive you."

"I haven't even forgiven myself, Matt. You had no idea what I had running through my head..."

"You miss your wife. It's completely understandable. Joe and TK miss theirs. I'm sure Cody would miss Junko if he could remember her. And Kari misses Steve, and Sora and I miss our kids. We're all in this together."

"It's not the same," he replied sadly, "Cody's lucky, he doesn't have to worry about it. And TK was heading straight for divorce papers anyway. Not that it matters, since he has Kari now. And Kari has him. And you and Sora have each other. Who do I have?"

"It's tough, I know, but Joe never..."

Izzy interrupted, "Joe and Mizuki were never all that emotional or romantic. But Aya... she was the world to me. When I married her, I didn't think I would ever be able to live without her. The incident with Kari proved it."

"You seem to have enough remorse for it to not do it again."

"That's not the point!" Izzy stood up and yelled. "Just the fact that I wanted to. The fact that I could even consider wanting to do that with her."

Matt sighed. The "that" they referred to had dealt severe damage to the morale of the group. It came out of left field. Nobody saw the incident but Kari and Izzy, yet everybody drew their own conclusions. It started with a hug, then a forced kiss, then to places unknown. The details were unclear suggesting how far he went before Kari put a stop to it all, but Izzy ran away rather than submitting himself to the aftermath. 

The other six had put "that" behind them. They let Izzy have his time alone, which ended up stretching into three years. In that time, Takato had arrived, and the Chosen decided to leave Izzy to fend for himself. Matt decided it was for the best, since some were bound to be less forgiving than others, and they wouldn't have been able to agree on anything were Izzy to come back.

"Look, that's not why I wanted to see you. That's not why we're here. There's something else I..."

"We?" Izzy took a step forward. "Who else is with you?"

"I'm alone. I meant me and Joe and Takato are here to get a wheelchair for Kari."

"Takato?" Izzy's eyes widened. "Who's Takato?"

Matt laughed. "The reason I wanted to see you. He's a kid that somehow got into the world about two years ago. We took him in and he's pretty much one of the family now. Thing is, he baffles the hell out of all of us!"

Suddenly, Izzy was vividly interested in the conversation. "How so? Besides the fact that he broke through."

Matt found his way to the futon, pointed to the chair and said, "Have a seat, you may need to write this down." Izzy rushed over to the computer and opened a word processor as Matt continued, "First off, his last name's Matsuki. Figure that one out."

"I'm not connecting..."

"Same as one of TK's characters."

"I thought Takato's last name was Kanbara."

"No, no, that's Takuya. Takato's was in that first book."

"I see," Izzy mumbled, feverishly typing away. While typing, he prodded Matt further, "What else?"

"When he got here, he thought we were all fictional characters from an anime, yet he knew Digimon were real and claims to have had one himself!"

"That's definitely baffling. Who was his partner?"

Matt smiled. "I was hoping you could help with that; you're the walking analyzer. Guilmon- Takato describes him as a red dinosaur. I always pictured a cross between Tyrannomon and Agumon."

"Digimon don't cross-breed Matt. And there's no species called Guilmon. I'm assuming your database told you that."

"About a hundred times. Anyway, next up- we stuck him with Veemon so he'd have somebody to call partner. His median synch level is 95."

"Prodigious. Veemon's pretty easy to get along with, but I've never seen it that high between non-partners in such a short span of time. Have they peaked above 100?"

"We haven't done a formal test, but they have definitely peaked above 100."

Without glancing back, Izzy replied, "How can you tell if you haven't..." He trailed off, inferring the phenomenon Matt was alluding to. He slowly turned his head towards Matt, with his mouth partially open. Matt nodded.

"Dynamic C-Level digivolution between non-partners. It happened during the Daemon debacle. Perfect timing, as most dynamics are."

"Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. He somehow is able to break into this world, claims to have a partner that doesn't exist, thinks we're all anime characters, and in less than two years time is able to bond enough to force a dynamic digivolution with a non-partner."

"Prodigious?"

"That's putting it lightly!" 

Matt stood. "Well, can you draw any conclusions?"

Following suit, Izzy stood as well. "Only one. I need to meet this kid. For all I can tell he's some sort of deity!"

Matt headed for the door. "The temple of Takato is right this way."

The chair was starting to come together when Matt returned. Before bringing Izzy in unannounced, he decided to warm Joe up first. 

"Did you have a nice walk?" Joe asked.

"You might say that. I need to talk to you. It's about a certain seventh member."

Takato snapped his head forward and turned to Matt. "I was only half asleep you know." 

Matt looked directly into Joe's eyes. "It's about a certain other seventh member."

"You don't mean..." Through Matt's expression, Joe knew exactly who he was talking about.

"He wants to meet Takato."

"Fine, great." Joe stood up and walked up to Matt. "Where is he?" 

"He's outside. I just wanted to warn you first." Matt turned to the doorway. "Izzy!" he shouted, "They're ready!"

Takato stood and joined Joe as Izzy walked carefully into the room. The name had been whispered here and there throughout the camp, but nobody would say much about Izzy. Takato had managed to put together an assumption that Izzy had once been one of the group, but had left for reasons that would remain taboo.

"Hello, Takato. It's nice to meet you. My name's Izzy Izumi. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" Takato was a little apprehensive. There had to be a reason the man was such a touchy topic.

"About you. I want to see if I can't figure out who you are and how you got here."

"Oh," Takato replied as he glanced to the floor. He thought the interrogations were over. 

Izzy put a hand up. "I'm sure the others probably asked a lot of questions too. But that's only because you're very interesting. You've done a lot of amazing things and I would like to know how."

With a huff, Takato relented. Izzy pulled out a pad of paper and began the barrage of questions.

"Okay, describe your partner. What was it? Guilmon?"

"He's... he's Guilmon. He's the best friend in the world." Takato knew the answer was abstract, but didn't care.

Izzy didn't seem to mind either, and wrote it down, "How far have you ever been able to digivolve him to? U-Level? M-Level perhaps?"

Takato laughed. "Oh, we've been to M-Level alright."

"How old were you when you reached M-Level?"

"13."

"So about... 32..." Izzy mumbled to himself before jotting something down. "Interesting. How did you get here?"

"I went to the gate and crawled in."

"A gate? Where was it?"

"Below Guilmon's house," Takato decided to elaborate further, "A storage shed at the park where he lived so nobody else would see him." 

"You had to hide him from people?"

"Well, yeah. Otherwise the men in black would try to take him away." Doubting that Izzy would believe him, Takato was intentionally vague, hoping to convince the man that he wouldn't be able to solve anything. 

"Men in black... fascinating." Izzy paused for a long time to write several lines of text. "And you found a digital gate below this shed?"

"I didn't. Guilmon did. He was digging around and it was just there."

"Okay. Takato, when you decided to come to the digital world, that gate was still open?"

"Yessir." Suddenly, he was being asked questions he wasn't used to getting, which at least allowed him a chance to talk more about Guilmon without getting into specific anecdotes.

"And you just crawled in? No magic words or anything?"

"Uh... actually I did have to say 'digi-port open.' It's a little strange that that actually worked, isn't it?"

Izzy nodded, furiously taking notes. "It certainly is. Sorry to change gears on you, but who are your parents?"

"Takehiro and Yoshie Matsuki. They... they died in a bakery fire," he answered sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Izzy's condolence was half-hearted, as he was more concerned with writing the information down, "A bakery, you said?"

"Yeah. We ran a bakery. Nothing special. They didn't have any connection to Digimon, if that's what you're asking."

"That's what I was asking, thank you. Can I see your digivice?"

After a moment, Takato fetched it from his pocket and handed it to Izzy. Izzy immediately admired it, but unlike the others who had seen it, didn't seem as baffled.

"Let me guess, you've never seen one before," Takato said.

Izzy smiled. "Not in real life. This looks like a prototype model some of my co-workers were working on." He pointed to the card reader on the side, "Tell me, is this for some sort of card to go in?"

Takato immediately perked up. None of the others bothered to warrant a guess about the features of his D-Power. "Yeah! It's for modify cards!"

"Modify cards... I see..." Izzy continued to observe the D-Power, before looking back at Takato. "Do you know a man named Goro Mizuno?" he asked with a confident smile.

"Goro Mizuno?" Takato thought hard. "I don't think so... doesn't sound..." 

All of a sudden, the name registered. After almost four years it was almost difficult to pinpoint, especially since Takato knew him better under a pseudonym. And the psudonym was all that Takato could say.

"Shibumi."

In a flash, Izzy had dropped his notes, dropped to his knees, and put his hands on Takato's shoulders, careful not to drop the D-Power in the process. "Shibumi! Shibumi! You know Shibumi!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.

"You know him?"

"Know him? He's one of my best friends!" Izzy stood and returned Takato's D-Power. "A fellow researcher working with Sora's father. And you even know his nickname!" 

"But wasn't that..."

"We all gave each other stupid nicknames. It was a whole group of us- Shibumi and Babel and Daisy and Tao and..." Izzy laughed, "I was Beetle."

"Why, because of Tentomon?"

"No, because I drove one." Izzy paced around, finally reclaiming his notes and jotting things down. 

"Wait a minute!!" Takato pointed at Izzy. "You said 'Tao,' didn't you? Isn't that...?"

"Janyuu Wong," Izzy said cheerfully, obviously enjoying a discussion on old friends.

"You knew Janyuu?"

"Of course! In fact, one of his kids, I think his name was Henry, he was good friends with my daughter. We always joked that they were going to get married one day."

"Henry?!" 

Suddenly, he had a reason to remember. Something was coming together. "He was a Tamer too! He was a friend of mine!"

"Hold on a second..." Joe interrupted. "Are you telling me that you two have some sort of thread? You both know Mizuno and Wong?"

Izzy looked at Joe quizzically. "Yeah, I introduced them to you, didn't I?" 

"Yeah, but I assumed Takato wouldn't know them. But this could explain it- those two were gatekeepers. They'd find a way to hack a gate open."

Matt joined in, "And Takato found a way in..."

"Incredible..." Izzy was still writing this down.

"You mean prodigious?" Takato corrected him.

Izzy raised an eyebrow at Takato. "Yes... prodigious. Who told you about 'prodigious'? Shibumi? Or was it that anime?"

"The anime."

"Prodigious... any chance you remember who did the voice of me?" 

Takato shook his head. He wasn't going to bother trying to remember something like that. 

"It doesn't matter," Izzy concluded before changing the subject. Now feeling more confident, he was not ready to solve this case. "So when exactly did Mizuno approach you and give you that digivice of yours?"

"Oh, he never approached me. My card reader somehow turned into it. And then Guilmon bio-emerged... the rest is history." Takato said matter-of-factly.

Izzy dropped his notes. He wasn't ready for that. The conclusion formed suddenly was shot to pieces.

"All done!" The Hagurumon interrupted the moment of silence to make their big announcement. Matt and Joe went to admire the handiwork. The wheelchair was simple, sturdy, and functional. 

"Takato! Jump on, I want to see how this rides," Matt said.

"Sure!" Izzy was left in his confusion as Takato sat on the contraption and began to wheel around the room. 

Takato finished his test-drive and stood up. "Feels pretty good, guys. Although the right side seems a little loose."

"I'm on it!" One of the Hagurumon took a wrench and tightened some of the bolts on the frame.

"Great. We'd better get back. I don't want to get home too late," Joe said.

"I'm going too," Izzy announced.

The three looked over at him. His notes were still on the floor, but Izzy faced the trio with newfound resolve.

"Takato is fascinating. There's definitely something about him and I want to get to the bottom of it. He's really sparked my interest. And therefore, I would like to rejoin the group."

Matt put his left arm on Takato's shoulder. "No," he stated firmly.

"No?" Izzy was surprised, "What do you mean, no? You were the one that said I shouldn't be alone. I'm ready to come out of hiding. Why 'no' all of a sudden?"

"Because it's for the wrong reason. Takato isn't a science experiment for you to analyze and dissect all you want. Sure, we don't know who he is and how he got here, but we don't care anymore. He is one of us now. He is a digi-destined, and I'm not going to let you choose to come out of exile just because you think he's interesting. If you wanted to be forgiven, or if you needed security, or if you just needed companionship again, that would be different. But your reasons are completely selfish. You're treating Takato like some sort of scientific anomaly."

"But Matt..." Takato interrupted, "I am a scientific anomaly, aren't I?"

"No. You're Takato Matsuki and you're one of us."

Takato wasn't satisfied with the answer. He was starting to feel like an anomaly again. He didn't belong here. His real world experiences were completely unlike the others. But Izzy knew some faces. He knew Shibumi and Janyuu and Henry. It wasn't much, but it was the closest he felt to home since he arrived.

Finally, Joe stepped in and said, "Look Matt, we have rules in place for this. Everybody needs to weigh their opinion on this, and everybody needs to have a say in the decision. I'm undecided myself, but we need to discuss this at a council."

"Without Kari?" 

"It's better than without Kari, Sora, TK, and Cody."

"Please, Matt, I need to figure out what's going on with Takato. Enough that I'm willing to take whatever I have coming to me and ask for reinstatement," Izzy said solemnly.

Matt didn't look thrilled, but obliged. "I guess I don't have much of a choice. Joe's right. This is something for us to decide as a council. But we are leaving soon. You'd better start packing. Be at the train station in half an hour. You might want to have Tentomon stick around to get the rest of your things."

Izzy bowed. "Thank you. I'll be there in twenty." 

As Izzy ran out, Veemon decided to take a spin on the wheelchair. Takato was the first to notice. "Veemon, get off of there, that's for Kari."

That seemed to draw Matt back into action, as began to walk out. "Takato and Veemon- let's get that wheelchair aboard the train. Joe- you might want to tell Sora about all this."

Joe nodded. "Right, Matt. Warn them."

Despite the anxiety with Izzy's return, the first thing on Joe's mind as the train pulled into forest terminal was Cody. Although he was contacting Sora about Izzy, her news of Cody was an unpleasant surprise. 

She continued to surprise the group when she was waiting for them at the station. Immediately, Joe jumped off the train to greet her.

"How's Cody?" Joe said urgently.

"Cody may have to wait. I think Kari's waking up soon." As they ran to the facility, Sora continued, "TK said he saw her hand twitch."

"Yeah, that sounds about on schedule. Thanks." 

As Joe ran to check on Kari, Sora waited for Matt and Takato to unload the wheelchair. Izzy disembarked, eyeing Sora nervously. He gulped. "Hi Sora."

Sora wasn't sure what to make of it. He looked exactly the same as he did three years ago. If he was living the life of a secluded outcast, as Joe made it sound, it didn't show through his appearance. His hair was cut, his clothes were clean, and he didn't look any less sociable. 

"Hi Izzy," was all she could manage.

"Well, hon, what do you think?" her husband asked, drawing her view down the wheelchair Takato was demonstrating.

"Looks nice. It should do fine. We have plans for the ramp, although we may not have it ready when Kari wakes up."

"She's probably better off staying in bed for a few days anyway. We have to have a council regarding Izzy here, but nobody said we had to have it outside."

Takato quietly began wheeling himself back to the cabin. He didn't get very far before an external force began to push him forward. It was Izzy.

"Thanks for the ride," Takato said, leaning back and folding his hands on his lap.

Izzy smiled. "No problem. I want to see if this place has changed any."

Matt and Sora joined them as they arrived back at the cabins. The first thing Izzy saw was Cody, still resting on that same chair. Despite the fact that he was sleeping, he still looked uncomfortable. Matt nudged him awake.

"Cody? Cody?" The boy began to stir. "How are you feeling?"

Cody moaned slightly and frowned. "Still uncomfortable. I don't know what it is."

"What's wrong?" Izzy stepped in.

"I feel a little disoriented... and a little cramped. Like everything's closing in on me."

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "Really? No fever or illness or anything?" 

"Nope. Just this discomfort."

"I see..."

"Don't tell me you know what it is?" Sora asked.

"I think I do. I'll tell you later."

Takato jumped off the chair. "Hop on Cody. Let's see how Kari's doing."

Sora helped Cody on and they wheeled him over to the other cabin. It was a slight hassle lifting him into the building, but both he and the chair were light, so it didn't cause too much trouble. As they went inside, Matt halted Izzy.

"You might want to wait…"

"Understood," Izzy replied, not needing Matt to finish.

The room was getting crowded, but Kari had plenty of room to herself. As she opened her eyes, she saw the whole group, although TK and Joe were nearest to her. TK held her hand. 

"Kari?"

After a few breaths, she responded, "TK?" 

That alone seemed to be enough to relax the group.

"How are you feeling?" Joe asked.

"I'm not. I can't feel anything below my waist," she said with a hint of fear.

Joe nodded. "It's alright. You took a nasty fall. There may be some spinal damage. I can't say how severe it is, but hopefully it will get better with time."

"Where's Gatomon?"

"She... she was killed by LadyDevimon. But we recovered her digiegg," TK answered slowly.

"Now that you're awake, she'll probably hatch in a day or two," Joe added.

"But we stopped Daemon then?" she asked, receiving several collective nods in response. 

"That's good," she continued. "Sorry I made you all worry. I'm sure I missed quite a battle."

"It was something else, but don't worry about that. We'll tell you some stories later," TK said.

Sora patted Kari's free hand. "Just try to rest for now and get some of your strength back. Joe says you may need a wheelchair. He, Matt and Takato had one made today. We'll make sure when you're ready to get out of bed, you'll be able to."

Kari smiled brightly. "Thanks, everybody. You guys are the best."

"It was nothing," Takato said.

Hesitantly, Matt brought up a different matter. "Kari, I don't mean to bring this on you now, but there's something we really need to discuss as a group. There's something really important we need to decide on, and it's important that you have a say in it... since it's about Izzy."

Suddenly, her expression changed to one of curiosity. "Izzy? What happened with Izzy?"

"They found him, Kari," Sora answered, "Matt found him up at steel terminal. And apparently he wants to live with us again. So we're going to have to vote on whether to allow him back in. So we'll have a council whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready whenever," Kari replied immediately. "I know my decision. I've known my decision for three years."

Matt nodded. "Tonight then. He can say his piece, we can ask him questions... and we'll try to fit everybody in here. Alright?"

"Sounds good. Just one more question."

"Yes?"

She smiled once more. "When do they serve dinner at this hospital?"

After dinner, the eight were somehow able to cram into Kari's room for the council. It was the first important one Takato had been a party to. There had been several votes, but mostly on trivial matters like cooking duties and train policy. The last significant one was almost two years ago, when Takato first appeared. Takato looked across at Izzy, occupying a dining room chair by the door. "He has to be a little nervous," Takato thought, "After all, I was when they were voting about me."

Matt stood from his position on TK's bed, which startled Sora and TK, also seated on the bed. Takato carefully sat at the foot of Kari's bed, Joe was in an imported chair alongside Izzy, and Cody was in the wheelchair, positioned between the two beds.

"Okay, let's get this over with since Cody isn't feeling well and Kari needs her rest," Matt began, "Long story short, we found Izzy and he wants back in. It's been three years and I hope I don't have to explain to everybody what happened." Everybody nodded, including Takato. Joe had taken him aside on the way back and briefed him of the situation.

Matt continued, "I guess the only thing to do is let Izzy explain why he wants to come back." He shot a glance at Izzy. "And you'd better include the same reason you gave me this afternoon."

As Matt sat down, Izzy stood up. "Okay, well..." The way Izzy sounded made Takato confirm his belief about Izzy being nervous. "What Matt was getting at was that I want to come back because of Takato. From what I can tell, you've all been a little curious about how he got here, and I'd really like to find out. There are things that Takato doesn't know about that we do know about, and there are experiences unique just to Takato. But I think this is a solvable mystery if I have the time to get to know Takato a little better. 

"I've already made one breakthrough. We both know Goro Mizuno and Janyuu Wong, both people I worked with and both gatekeepers. Also, Takato worked with Janyuu's son Henry, who was close friends with my daughter. There are connections. And I'm determined to get to the bottom of them." 

Izzy paused. He just blurted it all out without really contemplating each sentence. Was he putting together a good argument or just babbling? He could never quite tell the difference.

He went on, "I don't know why it's happening now after nine years, but we are in the middle of something big. I can feel it. You all just defeated Daemon again, an event which happens only once a decade. In regards to Cody..." Like sheep, everybody turned to him, catching the boy off guard. "I think I know what's going on with Cody."

"What?" Joe asked.

"Cody is getting ready to digivolve." 

The heads all turned back towards Izzy. 

"Or Hybrid evolve, or whatever name we invent for it. I think the reason he's feeling uncomfortable is because he's growing up."

"You mean this is like... puberty?" Matt took a stab at it.

"In a way, yes. That's a good comparison. Some Digimon feel this way right before they naturally digivolve. Data is starting to compile and the current form doesn't seem large enough. Eventually, the subject digivolves and feels released."

"I think he's right," Cody said. "Yeah, that has to be it."

"Finally, the other big thing is Takato. There is a point to all this research. There is a point to all these questions. Takato may be our last hope. I know how to send him back to the real world."

Everybody in the room erupted, demanding clarification. Takato stood up and said, "You can send me back?"

Matt hushed everybody down and let Izzy continue. "Yes, there is a way to send Takato home... if he wants to take advantage of it, of course. I'll explain later, but I just wanted to let everybody know." 

After a pause, Izzy discussed a different subject in a more subdued tone, "Of course, this would mean putting the past behind and forgiving me for mistakes I made before. I think I left more because of my own guilt than out of fear of what you'd think. I mean, I'm sure you were mad, but I've known you guys since I was ten. I know you're all capable of forgiving me. It just took me awhile to forgive myself first. I guess I'm done."

Izzy sat down to a hushed silence. Matt took the floor once again. "Izzy, could you go outside while we discuss this and vote?" 

He watched as Izzy left. After waiting until the outside door closed, Matt went on, "I still don't know. I mean, I'm willing to forgive him and all, but I don't like the fact that he's coming back just because of Takato."

"I'm just happy he wants to come back. I was worried about him," Cody said.

"But Cody, this is awfully shallow of him," Joe replied. "He could have come back at any time and discovered Takato. He could have been here when Takato arrived if he wanted to. We would have let him back in. I don't think he doubts that we're going to let him back in."

"Yeah, if he came back on his own, apologized, and swore never to do it again, it would be a different story," TK copied Joe's sentiment. "But Matt found him, showed him Takato, and suddenly he's gotten over it all and decides he's willing to work with us again? I'll admit that I was a little suspicious of Takato too. Heck, after seeing ExVeemon, I still am. But I'm not going to sit here and let Izzy analyze Takato because he's an interesting specimen, or because he's unusual, or because he shouldn't be here. None of us should be here. But we are, and that's all that matters. I don't think Izzy gets that."

"I agree," Matt replied. "It took us so long to accept Takato as a normal member of the group, and Izzy pretty much admitted that he wasn't going to treat Takato normally."

"But he made me feel normal..." Takato's words silenced Matt. 

"What? What do you mean?" asked Sora.

"When he said the name Janyuu Wong... when he knew who Shibumi was. When he mentioned Henry..." Takato kept his head to the ground. He was tired of hearing everybody talk about him; he needed to get out his own feelings. "When he mentioned Henry something clicked. Something happened for the first time since I got here. I felt like I wasn't an alien. I didn't feel like I was in the wrong place... the wrong world even. That there was a connection after all."

Takato lifted his head and stood up. "I was always afraid to tell you before, because... well for one thing I was trying to forget them. But also because every time I did say something, you would say that it was impossible. It was impossible that I raised Guilmon in the real world. It was impossible that I could slash a card on my digivice and give him wings. I never could tell you stuff like this because you would say it was impossible."

"Like what? Give us an example," said Joe.

"Okay, here's an example- there's that book TK wrote where I'm supposed to be one of the characters? And the other characters are twins- Ai and Mako. Well, I never told you that I knew twins named Ai and Mako." 

TK suddenly grew wide-eyed and leaned forward. 

"And they shared a Digimon partner, just like TK's book. But that's it. They were a lot younger than me, six years at least. And we never really got to know each other all that well. We lived in different parts of the city. And there's no way that the Ai and Mako in the book were stuck with Impmon." Takato looked at TK for confirmation; and TK shook his head to confirm Takato's hunch.

"What if I had said that right when we met? You'd always look at me strange. And I've got a million more things that could surprise you and make you say that's impossible." Still not finished, Takato pointed to the door. "But Izzy found a connection. Three people that we both knew at some point in our lives. Three actual living, breathing people that weren't characters in a book, or characters in an anime or figments of my imagination."

Although tears were starting to form in his eyes, he continued, "Not only that, but he says he can send me home. I still don't know if I want to or not. You guys are my family, almost as much as my parents were before they died. But I want to see if it's really possible to go back. You said already that it doesn't matter what Izzy did before. He's obviously sorry and you obviously can forgive him. But don't say he won't treat me like a normal kid. Because nobody here does... including myself. I'm not normal, but I'm not impossible. And if Izzy says so, neither is the chance of opening a gateway home." Finished, he sat back onto the bed and started crying. The only person nearby was Kari, and she weakly placed a hand on his shoulder, the only thing she could do to comfort him.

Getting back on track, Matt turned to Kari. "Kari? Anything you want to say about Izzy?" 

"Like I said before, I made my decision years ago and nothing can change it."

"Okay then..." Matt took a slight pause to let everybody make his or her final decision. "All in favor of allowing Izzy back into the group?"

One by one, all seven raised a hand.  
  
**To Be Continued in "Stage Eight- Crossing"**

**Author's Notes  
**See, it's a mindfuck... but a touching mindfuck. I had originally planned to develop the whole messy situation between Izzy and Kari a little further, perhaps even mentioning it in stage five, but decided to tone it down since it wasn't as important as other matters. What resulted was only a little sampler of some of the psychological issues about the incident.  
  
With only one stage left before the end of the story, it seems like there's a lot of loose ends to tie up. In reality, there's only one that needs undivided attention. All the rest are shadowy questions that get explained better in the remaining two stories.  
  
The Hagurumon are the gear-shaped Digimon first seen working for Machinedramon.   
  
Once again, the puzzle grows more complicated, but perhaps a few different questions can be considered jointly to get a little bit of insight into what's really going on. Then again... maybe not. Although hopefully the fact that Izzy knows those three (combined with Matt knowing Riley) may dispel a few incorrect theories.  
  
Yes, those are the names of Takato's parents, and his mother may be one of the most unnecessary dub name changes (apparently, it was Mie in the Japanese version) since her name was so rarely mentioned. Curiously enough, Izzy's mother is also named Yoshie, which is most definitely a coincidence.  
  
This ends Level 1: Stage Seven of The Connection


	8. Crossing

**_Level 1: Worlds_****  
**  
_In Order of Severity:  
Number of Lives Lost in New York City on September 11, 2001: 2,752  
Number of Lives Lost in New York City on June 9, 2027: 654  
Number of Lives Lost in New York City on October 2, 2028: 1_  
  
**Stage Eight- Crossing  
 **  
"The destiny stones?" Joe, completely baffled, stared across the room at his new roommate.

"Yep," Izzy said with a confident smile, "That's how we get Takato home." 

"I don't remember all the details from back then, and I haven't read TK's books in a long time- but weren't they destroyed?"

Izzy laughed. "The data exists to maintain a balance in the digital world. They were created as a tangible form, but the data still functions after the stones were destroyed. Each time a stone is destroyed, it's basically fission- the sudden discharge of the data creates the temporary rift between the worlds. I'm surprised you aren't familiar with that. Your brother wrote an excellent thesis on the subject."

Joe frowned and lowered his eyebrows. "Sorry, I don't make a hobby out of reading research papers. Even Jim's."

"Well anyway, if we can gather enough of that data together to create a simulated destiny stone, destroying it would force open the gate long enough to send Takato back."

"Oh, so all it takes is a nuclear reaction," Joe said with a hint of sarcasm. He paused, now seriously considering the idea. "Why haven't we used it to send ourselves home?"

Izzy averted his eyes for a moment before answering. "We're Chosen. I believe there is a barrier surrounding the real world that prevents our digivice from entering. We can't go home because of that."

Joe nodded. "Makes sense. Generally, whenever a nasty problem is facing the Digital World, the powers select new Chosen to fix it. There's definitely a lingering problem, but we haven't seen any new kids, unless you count Takato."

Izzy pointed a finger at Joe. "It's a legitimate hypothesis. But I think Takato's digivice has different properties that somehow allow it to waive the barrier. I can't tell unless we do a full analysis."

Joe lied on his bed and sighed. "Doesn't matter. Takato can go home, but we can't. That's life for you."

"I didn't say that we couldn't go home, Joe." Izzy lied on his own bed. "We can. But the process of unbecoming a Chosen is quite difficult and painful. At this point, it would involve the annihilation of our partner Digimon."

Joe sat up momentarily. "Hey, Kari lost her partner. Does that mean she can go home?" 

Izzy shook his head. "When I say annihilation, I mean everything. Data as well. I'm talking along the lines of D-Reaper."

"D-Reaper?" The concept was completely foreign to Joe. "What's that?"

"Are you still a Dragoist?" Izzy asked.

Abruptly, Joe started to laugh. "I think I know where this is going."

Sounding slightly bitter, Izzy explained, "I was working on a program that would eradicate malicious and rogue data. And yes, the aim was to destroy Daemon once and for all. It was going to be my big thing. I mean, while the others seemed to be accomplishing these great things and making a name for themselves, the work of myself and my peers were going largely unnoticed. But D-Reaper was going to change that. Matt landed on Mars, TK wrote incredible novels, Tai became a human voice for the Digimon… and I was going to destroy Daemon." He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily before reopening them and continuing, "Then I ended up stuck here and my work proved to be a waste."

The other Chosen fell back onto his pillow. "Nature has unusual ways of preserving harmony," he said thoughtfully.

Izzy stared up at the ceiling. Two years absent, and it remained unchanged. 

"That it does."

The research station was left with only three occupants. One was the digiegg, seated undisturbed by a window in order to receive some natural light. The other two were Takato and Izzy, organizing and cleaning everything else in the building. Joe was looking after Kari and Cody. Matt and TK were out getting wood for the wheelchair ramp. Sora was the only interruption, popping in now and then to check on the digiegg. Although both were hard at work, Izzy continued to interrogate Takato. Although he did his best to make it sound like a casual conversation, he was mentally gathering as much information as he could compile.

"West Shinjuku?"

Takato closed a file cabinet and looked back up at Izzy. He looked the adult in the eyes, momentarily concerned. "Please say that's where you remember Henry living."

A few moments of hesitation made Takato worry, but Izzy eventually nodded. "Oh yeah. They did live there. It's been awhile. Anything else interesting about the area? I don't remember any digital weaknesses there like in Odaiba or Kyoto."

Takato paused before opening a second file cabinet and answering, "Well, that is where I found the gate. And that's where Hypnos started out."

"Hypnos…" Izzy looked up. He mouthed the word a couple times before recalling the name. "The god of sleep. Dreamscape's gatekeeper."

Takato shot an odd glance at Izzy. "Uh, try weird government organization. Close though." He went back to rifling through a folder, before turning again to the man. "Hey, maybe you know somebody in Hypnos." Takato took a moment to recall the name. "Yamaki?" 

"Yamaki…" Izzy thought for a moment, but shook his head. "I don't remember anyone  named Yamaki. Sorry." With that possible tie hitting a dead end, Izzy explored other routes, "Do you have a connection with any of the historically weak points? Have you ever been to Odaiba?"

"Once. But it was just with friends. We were goofing off." Takato closed his eyes and looked to the floor. "Nothing special happened," he added, sadly.

"Basic social outing? Went to Rainbow Town and wasted money?" Izzy replied, somewhat monotone. He occupied himself with another folder.

Takato sniffed and nodded. "I rode the Ferris wheel with Jeri." It was another memory he wanted to expel. It wasn't as easy as sifting through a folder, however, and the good times kept coming back. "It's when I swore to myself that we would always be together. No matter what."

"I hate that Ferris wheel," Izzy said, still without looking over, "It's very interesting living in a tourist trap like Odaiba. I mean, everything's overpriced, and you get bombarded with the most inane questions."

He passively glanced at Takato, a smile beginning to creep on his face, "There was this one time when I was chatting online with someone from Yokohama. She asked where I was from. After I told her it was Odaiba, she said something along the lines of, 'you mean people actually live there?'" Izzy laughed quietly and went back to his work.

"Why is it that I can never keep my promises?!" Takato cried. 

Surprised at the outburst, Izzy dropped the folder. He hadn't realized how emotional Takato had gotten. 

He cautiously proceeded, "Well… you still can. If you want to go home, just say so. Just keep in mind that the process may take awhile. How about I give you a week to make a decision?"

Takato took a few deep breaths before nodding. "All right. I want to ask the others what they think."

"Good idea."

While Izzy went back to work, Takato remained unsettled. "You know, ever since I got here, I've been trying to forget about everything. But for some reason, everything keeps flying back when I talk with you. It's still amazing that you know Henry."

"Mari really liked Henry. He was a little stubborn, and he had a bit of a temper, but he loved computers." He smiled and looked back at Takato. "When they were talking about computers, he could have had horns on his head and she wouldn't have noticed."

Although Takato's memories were bringing him tears, Izzy's were purely joyous. "Us researchers used to have getaways. Sometimes our families would stay at the research stations like these for a weekend. Just having a good time, taking in the world. I remember that Mari would always ask me if Henry was going." He set a folder aside and rested his chin on his hand. "It always made her day whenever he was there. In fact…" He stood up. "I just remembered something… come on. I'll show you." 

Izzy led Takato out of the building. He headed to cabin A and walked along its perimeter, carefully weaving around tall grasses and trees. 

"It should still be here. They were playing behind this cabin. I know it…" Izzy pulled a low-lying branch aside, revealing the wall of the cabin. Takato almost fainted at the sight of the two names etched into its surface.

"He was here…" Takato leant forward and touched Henry's name. "I can't believe Henry was actually here." As he did so, Izzy smiled and touched Mari's.

"About a month later, another researcher found these and asked me who Mari and Henry were. I told him they were a young couple who snuck back here to have a good time and make their mark on the world," he said nostalgically.

"Hey, I think there's another one…" Takato said, pulling back some tall grass. Indeed, a third etching remained.

It read "ALICE."

Izzy nodded in recollection. "Oh yeah. Dolphin's granddaughter. I forgot about her. She was also friends with Henry. But I doubt you know her."

Takato whispered the name. Unfortunately, his memory was failing him. He remembered an Alice somewhere, but wasn't able to recall the details.

"What are you two doing back here?" Sora said, joining the pair.

Izzy pointed to the etchings. "Sora, check this out. Did you ever notice these names back here?"

After a closer inspection, she shook her head. "No. Did Mari and her friends do this?"

"Yeah. I completely forgot they were here."

"Did you know Henry, Sora?" Takato asked.

Again, Sora shook her head. "No, I never knew Henry. But is that Alice Rob McCoy's granddaughter?"

"I don't know of any other Alice who would have been here," Izzy answered.

Sora smiled brightly. "I remember her. She was a little cutie." 

"She was a bubble," chuckled Izzy.

"Anyway, the egg's about to hatch. You don't want to miss it, do you?"

"No way!" Takato replied.

They carefully trekked back to the front door and went inside. Kari was sitting up in her bed with the digiegg. She leant forward as far she was able to, her eyes eagerly focusing on what would soon become her partner reborn. Every little movement, and every little crack stirred her further, tempting her to move in closer.

"Don't lean in too far, Kari," Joe said from the bed across from her, "Your back is more fragile than that baby is." 

Cody sat next to Joe. Like Kari, he was leaning forward as far as his back would allow.

As Sora entered, the shell cracked a little more. Without taking her eyes off the egg, Sora pulled up a chair close to the bed, barely allowing Izzy and Takato enough space to squeeze into the room. 

Takato stared at the egg. Another crack. Another set of eyebrows raised. Another squeak of anticipation from Kari, Sora, or Cody. He too was mesmerized by it all. Whatever was inside used to be Gatomon. The Gatomon who suffered a violent end in the midst of a violent world. Yet the creature inside was pushing through the shell, eager to get another chance.

After an ear poked through the shell, Kari's desire to get closer to the egg caused her to lean forward more. Rather than risking further injury, Joe switched beds. He took Kari's pillow and rested it against her back, using his own back to support it. Kari didn't seem to notice. Joe winced a little, straining his neck to get a clear view of the egg.

Sora kneeled down, allowing herself to be at eye-level with it. "C'mon… a little more," she whispered to it.

Finally, the Digimon obliterated the egg, revealing itself as a healthy YukimiBotamon. Sora, Cody, and Takato leant back a little in response to the burst. Without hesitating, YukimiBotamon jumped into Kari's waiting arms.

Sora dried a tear. "Congratulations, Kari. Shame Matt and TK had to miss it."

Joe moaned a little. Kari was wiggling a little as she hugged her partner. The act of supporting her back was starting to take a toll on his own. He opened his mouth to say something, but after seeing the smile on her face and the tears rolling down her cheek, he relented.

As Cody moved in for a closer look and Sora continued to gush, Takato looked up at the ceiling. It was nice to think he would receive the same reaction if he broke free and went back. But after two years, would anyone be brought to tears by his return?

He knew he was going to have to talk to each of the Chosen individually. Fortunately, with the ramp being the only major project, cornering each of the seven wasn't difficult. 

Takato found Joe in the research station, carefully checking on YukimiBotamon's. Although she hatched two days earlier, it took Joe that long to pry her away from Kari to give the Digimon a check-up. 

"Going back? I can't answer that. It's your call."

Takato stepped forward, in order to look him in the eyes. "Do you think I should? I mean, do you think Izzy can do it? Do you think I'd be happier?"

Joe shook his head as he pondered over a few items on the checklist in front of him. "I can't answer any of those. Izzy explained to me how it would work, and the process sounds a little strange." He checked one item off. "He sounds like he knows what he's doing. But you're the only one who can decide if it's worth making the trip. After all, there was a reason you left in the first place."

Takato glanced aside and patted YukimiBotamon on the head. "That's the problem. I came here because I didn't feel like I belonged in the real world. But then again, I don't know if I belong here."

Joe set his clipboard aside. "Sometimes you just have to make yourself belong. Humans don't belong in the Digital World. Period. But we're here, and we're making it. A lot of bad things have happened because of humans in this world. That's part of the reason why we can't go back. But despite that, we make ourselves belong here."

"Have you ever tried to get back? Or at least send a message through?"

"There's a way to get back, but the process is too painful for us to go through. But as for a message, we did try to get something through. A few years ago, Izzy found a way to get an e-mail to my brother."

"Really? What happened?"

Joe paused. He carefully pricked YukimiBotamon with the tip of his pen, causing the Digimon to jump into Takato's arms. Finally, Joe continued, "We had every reason to believe it went through okay. But we never got a response. Jim's not the kind of person to leave us hanging like that."

"What do you think happened?" Takato said, occasionally looking down at the little thing in his hands.

"I don't know. Very interesting things were happening when we left. I can't imagine what it's like now. If you went back, it could stir up a whole lot trouble."

"So I take it that's a 'no' vote then?"

"No…" Joe smiled. "If half of our guesses about Jim are right, then I want you to stir up as much trouble as you can."

"What's it like?" Cody asked with a spark of curiosity. It was night, and Takato brought the issue up before they went to bed. According to Izzy, Cody would be evolving any day, but wouldn't feel totally healthy until he did.

"What's what like?" Takato wasn't expecting to answer questions; he wanted to get Cody's opinion.

"The real world. I've never been there."

"Oh yeah." Takato shook his head, fishing for the right world. "It's… cold. It's as dangerous as the Digital World, only not as spectacular."

"Really? That's not how I heard it. I always heard that it was a place full of people. And although there's some bad people, there's a lot of good ones too. And although there's a lot of places that don't look attractive, there are others that could take your breath away."

"Yeah. I used to live in this one place called Okinawa. Absolutely beautiful- but I hated it there."

"Of course, I bet every world's like that. There is no perfect world."

"That's also true."

Cody sat up in the bed and looked across at his roommate. "Just once I wish I could see it. To find out a little more about who I used to be. I read TK's book, and I guess I did some really amazing things with everybody else. And somewhere in the real world, I even have a wife who misses me terribly. And a daughter who's older than I am."

Takato sat up in response. "It sounds a little strange, doesn't it?"

"It's incredibly strange. Falling in love, getting married, having a child? It's all so foreign to me." Cody closed his eyes. He quietly resigned himself back to his pillow, before taking another look at Takato. "And yet, I'd give anything to experience it someday."

"I'm amazed you're taking so long to come to a conclusion," Matt remarked as he sawed through a piece of wood. 

"Well, it is a big decision," Takato replied.

"For you, perhaps. I'd go in a second." Matt finished cutting. "We all would."

Takato hoisted another piece of lumber and positioned it on the sawhorse. "Really? I know you all miss your families, but don't you like it here?"

"Two things, Takato. First- we really miss our families. I mean, we see them everywhere. In fact, when I first saw you, I could have sworn you were my son." Matt marked the appropriate spot, and resumed sawing. "If Kari hadn't warned me ahead of time, I would have called you Kori." 

Takato picked up the piece Matt was finished with. "And second?"

"And second, the Digital World is just like the real world. It has its ups and downs. You've been here for two years, you understand that. We've been here for nine years. At this same spot, doing the same thing. The ups and downs don't seem very steep anymore. I know we have a responsibility to be here, but just once I'd like to go home and see what I've been missing."

Sora approached them with a hammer and nails. "You're not the only one," she said.

Takato handed Sora the finished plank. "But that's the problem. You all have somebody to go back to. I don't know if I have anybody. I don't want to go back to Okinawa. I don't know if I can face my friends. I mean, for all I know, Jeri and what's-his-face are married by now."

"There's somebody out there, Takato" Sora smiled. "You're too nice for there not to be. Somebody cares about you enough to help you get back on your feet. Somebody cares about you enough to make sure you aren't alone. And somebody definitely cares about you enough to fall in love with you."

Takato remained skeptical. "You say that so confidently."

Sora set her load down and rubbed the top of Takato's head. "You may not know who it is right now. You may even know the person, but not realize that it's the one for you." She looked over at Matt, still concentrating on not sawing his arm off. "I met Matt when I was eleven, and didn't think for a minute that we'd ever end up married."

Matt smiled as he continued his task. "Yeah, that's the fun of life. You go back to the real world and you don't know what's going to happen. When I was eleven, I didn't know I'd end up living in Houston, going into space, becoming an international hero, having two kids…" Matt tilted his head at Sora without looking. "…with her all of people. But it sure didn't keep me from growing up."

"So you both think I should go? You've been my family for so long, and you think I should put it all on the line and go back?" Takato asked again.

Matt stopped sawing and looked up at Takato. "Yeah, you're like family. And like a good family, we can't get in the way when someone gets an opportunity. You've got a chance that none of us do. I want to see you take it."

TK was resting on the couch outside Kari's room when Takato entered. Takato immediately seized the opportunity to get TK's opinion. 

"Go. No question about it," TK replied.

Takato joined him on the couch and continued, "I feel a little guilty because I can go back and you can't."

"You can make up for that easily enough. You know we're here. You know we're real. That's a pretty powerful weapon."

"What do you mean?"

TK looked Takato in the eyes. "Do you know why I wrote about all of our old adventures?"

Takato shrugged. "To make money?" he guessed.

With a smile, TK replied, "No, that's why I wrote Frontier. People need to know the truth. Bad things can happen when they don't. I wrote the books to show people what the original Chosen went through. What they stood for and what they accomplished. Also what the relationship between a Digimon and a digi-destined should be. It wasn't supposed to be for entertainment. It was definitely engaging material, but it was true. And that was the point." 

TK looked out to the window in front of him. Matt and Sora were still hard at work setting the ramp up. "This whole mess with it being a cartoon really bugged me. Feels like it took something away. Our adventures were stripped of all significance and turned into a work of fiction. Still engaging, but with no reason to believe it was real."

"It is very strange. Especially if my friend Henry really knew Izzy's daughter. And that he was even here, at this very research station. Why didn't he ever tell us?"

TK turned back to Takato. "That's why you need to go back. You need to ask him. Find out the truth. I don't know if Izzy's going to get anywhere with all his questions, but there's no telling what you'll find out in the real world."

"But why do I need to find out? How does my finding out about this help you?"

TK lowered his eyes, before bringing them back up to face Takato. "Do you remember Bokomon? From Frontier?"

Although confused by the sudden change in topic, Takato nodded.

With a slight smile, TK raised his index finger, "He always had that book. And whenever something happened, and it was foretold in the book, he was the smartest one in the group. The all-knowing expository character. But every time something happened that the book didn't prepare him for, it was all different."

"He was the most lost out of anybody," Takato replied in understanding.

TK pointed his finger at Takato. "Exactly. He'd panic. Everybody else just went with the flow, while he was completely out of it." TK leant in toward Takato and explained, "The book symbolizes a certain kind of knowledge- the way things worked before, and the way things are supposed to work now. Everybody has this book. People do one of three things with it. They could ignore it completely and just go into each situation blind."

"I guess that's kind of like me."

"That's going to change. Those people just accept whatever the truth is at the moment, ignoring the truths of the past. There's also people like Bokomon- and are only as smart as the book. They can't think beyond it, and they can't see past it." He raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "But there's also the rare person who reads the book, knows the book, loves the book… but isn't afraid to add new chapters if necessary. That's the kind of person that you need to become."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"Takato, I still don't know who you are. I don't know where you came from and I don't know where you're going. But if you go back to the real world, and you figure out what's going on, you need to make sure that your book stays updated. And there's a lot of people out there who need to have their books updated. Because I have this funny feeling that you could be a major character in it."

Kari sat upright in her bed, reading a book. YukimiBotamon lied on her lap, quietly staring up at the eerily familiar human in front of it. Kari set the book down when she heard Takato knock. 

"Come in." She smiled as he entered. "How are they doing out there?"

"Oh," Takato answered, looking to the wall as if he could see through it outside. "It's going well. Should be up in a couple hours." 

She continued to smile. "Tell them I'm in no rush. My back still hurts, but I'm catching up on a few books."

"That's good." Not wanting to belabor the reason for his visit, he changed the subject. "So Izzy says I can go back to the real world."

She kept smiling. "Isn't that amazing? Do you think you're going to?"

"I don't know. I mean, I feel pretty bad. I chose to come here, and I can choose to go back. None of you had much choice in the matter."

Her smiled didn't disappear. Instead, she quietly stroked YukimiBotamon between the ears. "Perhaps, but in a way, we'd be better off no matter what you chose. If you go back, there's so much you can do. We all have family out there that we haven't seen in nine years. Even though we can't go back, we'd feel so much better if we knew you could tell everybody we care about that we're here. We don't know what they've been told. They need to know we're alright. That we're getting by. That we miss them."

Takato avoided eye-contact. "I don't know if I could do that. I mean, that's a lot of people to talk to."

"If anyone can do it, it's you. Besides, you don't have to do everything the day you get back. You won't be in the real world for an eternity, but it's still a long time."

"So… if I can do that in the real world, how would you be better off if I stayed?"

"That's simple…" Somehow, her smile grew even wider. "Then you'd still be here with us. We wouldn't have to say goodbye."

A smile grew on Takato's face. "Oh… I would really miss all of you."

"Don't let that hold you back though. If you want to go back, go back. There's things you can do that more than make up for your absence here. Going out and succeeding in the real world is the first step."

"So if I went back, you'd really count on me to tell your families one day?"

She nodded. "Of course. And you will. You may not know how it's going to happen, but it will. I've always believed that no matter what happens, eventually, everything will be corrected."

"Right." He approached door, before looking back. "Thanks, Kari." He opened the door.

"But Takato," she broke in before he was about to leave. He looked back at her. Suddenly, her smile was gone, replaced with a straight face and a focused stare. "Sometimes it needs a little push." 

Even after he exited the room, Takato could still feel her eyes on him.

Izzy fed his latest observations about Takato into the computer. So far, there were several possibilities, but nothing was feasible without a lot of prognostication. Since the last time Izzy was in the real world, a lot must have changed. The one looming question was how.

Absentmindedly, he opened a folder with his old theories about the last time someone had broken into the Digital World. 

"Mari…"

It had been almost a year since he sent her back to Aya. He dared not tell any of the others that she visited. If anybody asked him to justify his confidence in getting Takato back, he would simply say a random stranger visited him. He couldn't tell them it was his daughter. He was through being ostracized. Izzy was determined to share their grief, and refused to take any comfort in knowing that he was able to see his child again.

Furthermore, there was a connection between her and Takato. By all accounts, they got in the same way. Not only that, but Henry Wong was such a crucial figure in the research. Henry was the clue to help Izzy untie this knot. 

Izzy read his set of hypotheses again. He nodded. Takato's knowledge of Henry and Shibumi supported one of them. It explained a lot- Takato's name, the style of his digivice, and even the anime that kept coming up. 

"Izzy!" Takato said while knocking on the door, "Can I come in?"

He was startled for a moment, but Izzy quickly minimized everything on the computer except a blank page on a word processor. "Sure!" he replied.

Takato closed the door behind him and sat on the other bed in the room. "What are you working on?"

"Uhh… Inputting more data into the computer. Every little bit helps." Izzy typed a few random lines of text, pretending to be busy.

"Getting anywhere?"

Izzy balked for a moment. He lightly tapped a key with his finger. "I don't think so," he answered and resumed typing. 

"Too bad. But I think I'm getting somewhere in figuring out if I want to go back or not."

"Prodigious. Did you talk to everybody else?"

Takato twiddled his thumbs. "I've spoken to everybody but one person. So far, everybody thinks I should go."

With a smile, Izzy began practicing his ability to transcribe the conversation verbatim.  "Great! Who do you still have to ask? Cody?" he asked, more cheerfully.

"Actually… you."

Izzy stopped typing and frowned. He looked across at Takato, narrowing his eyes. "What do you need to know? I told you about the destiny stones, right?"

"I'm not asking about the process, I'm asking if you think I should do it or not."

"Well… it's your decision. I can't tell you whether or not to do anything."

Takato leant forward. "Yeah, but obviously you have an opinion on it, right? Some great advice for me to follow once I get there?" 

Izzy hesitated. It was never his place to make decisions for other people. "Uh… well I guess I think you should go. But I think you should do it more for yourself than for us. I'm sure everybody else is telling you to do something big, or try to change things… or tell their families they're okay."

"Is something wrong with that?"

"Not really, but make sure you take care of yourself first. Don't go all-out for us until you can afford to. Don't do anything crazy until you're smart enough to. I guess you shouldn't worry about us so much that you forget about yourself. I don't know what the world was like when you left, but I doubt it's gotten any easier." 

Izzy shrugged. "Sorry, but that's all I could come up with."

Takato smiled. "No, you're right. But I think I'm ready now. If I don't go back, then I'll never know if I can make it there. And if I can't make it there, then there's no hope for any of us."

"So you're going back?" Izzy frowned a little. 

Takato nodded. "Yep. For sure this time."

Izzy turned back to the computer. He restored some of the theories he had been forming. He had convinced himself it could be done. He helped convince Takato to do it. Now Izzy just had to convince himself it was a good idea.

"Any other advice?" Takato asked.

After staring at the writing on the screen for a little while, Izzy could only give out one more word of knowledge: 

"Exist."

This time, Takato was confused. He leant back and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Izzy shut the computer down and headed out of the room. Hurriedly, he said, "Never mind. I have to talk to Matt about getting everything ready. Like I said, this won't happen overnight."

The process of finding and collecting enough of the destiny stones' data, "holy remnants" as Izzy called it, took a few weeks. Everybody did what they could to speed the quest along. They had the technology to identify where data was, but going out, gathering it, and filtering it proved to be a demanding chore. Yet the eight accomplished it together. Even Kari was determined to contribute to the team- undeterred by her wheelchair. Days were no longer routine- the search for more holy remnants took the group through dangerous territory, and the Digimon were called in to help them get through in one piece.

Along the way, Izzy continued to prod Takato, in a last-ditch effort to learn what he could about the situation. Although he made a few startling discoveries, he was careful not to divulge them to Takato, nor any of the others.

Eventually, they succeeded in obtaining the remnants. After a few agonizing days alone back at steel terminal, Izzy called the group over. His only additional note warned them that Takato would not be coming back.

"Do you have everything?" Matt asked Takato onboard the Angler-type train.

Takato did a triple-check. He didn't come in with much more than a duffel bag full of clothes and some toiletries. He was leaving with a few more items- some pictures, a couple of TK's books, some letters to family members- reserved if Takato ever sought them out.

"All aboard," Takato replied softly, just audible enough for Matt to hear.

"Are you on, Kari?" 

"Yep," she replied, "But we're missing somebody. Excuse me, Salamon." Her Digimon, now at R-Level, scooted out of the way as Kari wheeled over to the door, cupped her mouth, and yelled, "Cody! Are you coming or not?!"

"Sorry, I had to see if it fit!" came the reply. Not long afterwards, Cody came running up to the train in a hooded blue shirt. It was the same shirt Takato wore when he entered the Digital World two years prior. It suddenly fit Cody perfectly, and was Takato's gift to the Chosen.

"How do I look?" the teen asked with a confident smile.

All Matt and Kari could do was smile.

"Spiffy," Matt replied, somewhat caustically, "Get on the train."

With everybody on board, the trip didn't seem to take as long. The passenger car of the train was filled with memories of the past and hope for the future. The six Chosen aboard desperately tried to enjoy the last few hours with Takato. No matter how long the trip was, it was too short for them.

Upon arrival, Izzy greeted them at the station. "Well, this is it, Takato. Ready?"

Takato looked back at the six. A few of their Digimon were present as well. The rest were  unfortunately held back because of their ongoing monitoring duties, but Takato knew they sent their best. Veemon, naturally, was there, and he and Takato shared a hug. Of course, Takato shared a hug with everybody, each of them offering their own final words of encouragement.

Finally, he turned back to Izzy. With a huff, he looked up at him with a straight-face. "I'm ready."

Izzy smiled. "Excellent," he replied, before turning to the others, "I assume you all want to observe this?"

"Hell yeah we do!" Matt replied.

"Good. Besides, I need a digivolution to create the necessary reaction." 

They followed Izzy a few hundred yards to an open location just outside the terminal. Tentomon stood by a glass diamond, about the size of the original destiny stones. Inside the diamond, loose data was swirling around, giving off a radiant glow. Izzy took to a control panel nearby and grabbed several sets of safety goggles. 

"Sorry- just a precaution." Izzy said as he handed them out. He was about to hand a set to Takato, but the boy was already well-equipped with his own pair.

Izzy cupped his hands. "Okay, I have all the coordinates set. Once we destroy this diamond, the gate will be opened just long enough to get Takato back to Shinjuku. It's quite possible that Takato will end up in the same spot he left." He sighed. "Who wants to do the honors?"

"I will," volunteered Takato. "After all, I'm the one leaving. It's only appropriate."

"But…" Takato quelled Izzy's response by pointing his D-Power at Veemon one last time.

"Veemon digivolve to Ex-Veemon!" 

Izzy's mouth opened wide at the sight of the C-Level. It took a few moments for him to respond. 

"Wow. Wasn't expecting that. I guess you're median's above 100."

Takato lightly threw his D-Power up in the air before catching it. He grinned. "Just keeping you on your toes."

"Right…"

Although he was still smiling, Takato said, in a more serious tone, "Say… did you ever figure out what was going on with me? I mean, I'll probably figure it out one day. But did you reach any conclusions about how I got here?"

Izzy inhaled. He stared the youngster in the face, trying not to make direct eye contact. Eventually, he forced out an answer. "Well… I can't tell you. I'd like to, but you're better off not knowing."

"What do you mean? All that research, and you can't tell me the answer?"

"No." He quickly turned away from Takato and faced the large Digimon nearby. "Ex-Veemon, whenever you're ready."

Slightly disappointed, but still unnerved, Takato stood near the diamond. He gave the command.

"Vee-Laser!" The attack completely shattered the glass. A spark of brightness immediately gave way to a continued radiance from the data. 

"Now, Takato!" Izzy shouted. Takato was already a step ahead and approaching the light. The other Chosen and Digimon shouted their cheers as he passed through. After a minute of anxiety, the light faded away. All that remained were a few glowing bits of data scattered about the air. The cheers subsided and ExVeemon reverted back to his R-Level form.

"Well… is he back?" Sora asked.

Izzy ran to his control panel to check. The entire procedure seemed to go smoothly. At first glance, everything went according to plan. Takato went through the gate, and the gate took him to his destination. But after examining the monitor closer, he noticed a new code entered. As if someone had hacked in at the last second. He began typing in an effort to decode it. He could determine nothing other than the alleged hacker's signature. But the information helped Izzy very little; he knew nobody who went by the handle "RKngel."

"Yeah. Just fine." Izzy stood up, dismissing it. It was unlikely that anybody would know about the procedure, and nobody in the real world could prevent Takato from going home.

Matt removed his goggles and walked up to Izzy. "Okay, now that he's gone, we need to know- what happened? How did he get here?"

Izzy walked past Matt toward the rest of the group. But Matt grabbed Izzy's shoulder and spun him back around.

"Izzy, please, we're sick of this little secret. We know you found something out, and we need to know what it is."

"You really want to know?" Izzy answered, a little soft-spoken, "The possibilities really were endless. This is only a rough guess, and involves some things that were only faint whispers back in our day. But now… who knows?"

"What is it?" Kari asked loudly, "What was going on with Takato before he got here?"

Izzy sighed, and gave them the direct answer.

"Before he arrived here… Takato Matsuki did not exist."

_----March, 2038----  
_His face was implanted in the carpet. His legs were dangling in the air. Takato lifted himself from his position, removing his goggles to take stock of his surroundings. He was surrounded by computers. He looked back at the one he had apparently come through. The screen was static for a few seconds before being replaced with an advertisement. So far, the only thing Takato knew was that the computer he exited from cost $899 and had a two terabyte hard drive. 

"Excuse me, can I help you?" someone called out. Takato looked to his left. The young man staring at him had dark skin, black hair, and an ugly red polo shirt with a nametag on it. He looked like he was in his late teens.

Takato knew he was going to sound strange, but if he hadn't already scared the man away, it was worth a shot. "Where am I?"

"Circuit City," the man answered plainly, pointing to his left. "There's a big sign out front."

Takato rose to his feet and checked for his bag. He found it and picked it up. 

"I'm back. The real world," Takato said. He still didn't know precisely *where* in the real world he was. But he was definitely in it.

"I take it you didn't come through the front… did you?" The salesman replied, with a hint of disbelief.

Takato approached him. "No. I… I came from the Digital World. It's an amazing place where…"

Immediately, the man extended a palm forward and silenced him. It was the first time Takato was able to get a good look at the nametag. It read "Dwayne" in clean block letters.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not as young as I look. I know about the Digital World. Everybody knows about it. They just don't talk about it. So where are you from?"

He removed his palm and let Takato answer: "Shinjuku."

Dwayne raised an eyebrow. "That in Jersey?"

"No… Tokyo." Takato was already afraid he wasn't where he was supposed to be. So far, the conversation wasn't helping.

"Japan? Wow." After a few moments of thought, Dwayne said, "Do you need to get in touch with somebody? Need a place to stay? I don't know if you can reserve hotels from the Digital World."

"Um… well… I hadn't really thought about that. I've been in there for two years. I guess I should go back to Japan, but there's really not anything there…"

"Dwayne, did you front the DVCs like I asked you to?" A second worker walked in from behind Dwayne. He was much older, and much whiter, but his shirt was just as ugly.

Dwayne spun around without losing a beat and smiled. "Already done, boss. Hey, I'd like you to meet somebody." Dwayne placed his hands on Takato's shoulders. "This is my cousin, Koji. He just came in from Shinjuku, Japan. I didn't even know he was coming! Would you mind if I clocked out and showed him around town? I also have to call my folks- if they were looking to surprise me, they did a good job!" 

"You've got four hours left in your shift!" 

Dwayne shrugged. "We ain't doing any business! If I clock out now, it's less human resources going to waste. Besides, I already did everything you asked. C'mon Koji." 

Dwayne walked past the other man. Takato got the hint easily enough. "Um… coming Dwayne!" 

The other worker backed off. "Okay, but next time we get a rush, I'm calling you in for overtime."

"No problem!" Dwayne shouted while clocking out, "The new Copland OS comes out tomorrow. I hear it's supposed to be a hot seller. I'll come in to tide things down."

"Deal." 

As soon as Dwayne's offer was accepted, Dwayne and Takato were out the door. Immediately, Takato started shivering. He hadn't felt cold in a long time. No part of Okinawa, nor any part of the Digital World he had been to, ever reached such low temperatures.

"It's freezing out."

"Jeez, it's only 30. It's March- this is warm for New York."

"New York?"

"I'd be wearing shorts if I didn't have to work!"

"We're in New York?" Takato asked again, louder.

"Yep. Now here's the lowdown, Koji."

"Koji? Where did you come up with that name?"

Dwayne laughed. "I don't know. You said something about the Digital World. I kept thinking of that stupid cartoon." He returned to business. "Anyway, here's the deal- I let you crash at my apartment if you help pay the rent. I'll even help find you work. I got connections, I'll help you get the paperwork done. Get you into school or something."

"Wait a minute- you'd do that?"

"Hey, you seem to be in a bit of a fix right now. And besides, I kicked my old roommate out a few weeks ago and I've been looking for a new one. Put in your share and don't be a pain in the ass and you can stay as long as you need to."

Takato was amazed. The first person he met was willing to help him, without asking many questions either.

Dwayne did bring up one note of caution, "Just, uh… don't go around saying anything about the Digital World. I'm cool with it, but there's a lot of people around here who still have a problem with it." Finally, Dwayne extended a hand. "So, do we have a deal?"

Takato shook the outstretched hand with a disbelieving smile. "I don't know what to say."

"How about 'Thank you, Dwayne, for your kind and generous offer'?"

Takato truly was thankful. Once again, he leaped before fully looking. And once again, a kind stranger was willing to take him in. He would take Dwayne up on the offer. He would find a job and go back to school and start over again.

But this time, Takato was going to do more than that. He was going to become something. He was through wallowing in the past. This time, all he could see was the future. This time, he was going to get find his life's calling, find some way to answer it, and find somebody to answer it with. He was truly reborn, and the world before him was greater than anything. A world for him to grow- physically along with spiritually. A world for him to go wherever he wanted. 

Perhaps someday he would share his digital adventures with the rest of the world. Someday he would find the families of the Chosen and tell them that their mother, father, husband or wife was safe, and sends his or her best wishes. That was in the distance, however. Right now, he had more urgent challenges to overcome, and a new life to begin.

Takato followed Dwayne into a taxi, which sped toward the apartment. Dwayne smiled. It was official.

Takato had found his new home.  
  
**To Be Continued in "Level 2: Children"**  
  
**Author's Notes  
**Well, everybody knows what happened the first time Alice got out of Wonderland. Similar situation with Takato, although the big game of chess is only beginning. This ends the first part of the trilogy. The next story will continue the adventure, introduce the children of the Chosen, and may actually provide more answers than questions. So be sure to look for it in a few months.  
  
The idea with the destiny stones was another brilliant product of the flock of researchers attempting to deliver a scientific explanation to the phenomena that occurred in the first and second seasons. And the sudden mention of Jim Kido and Alice McCoy set up interesting subplots in the second and third stories.  
  
The whole thing with Hypnos being "dreamscape's gatekeeper" is another Lovecraft reference, and the reason Konaka named the organization Hypnos to begin with. Thanks Andy!  
  
It's not really mentioned in the first two seasons, since it's common knowledge to anyone living in Japan, but Odaiba really is a big tourist trap. Rainbow Town, and even the TV station are popular tourist destinations. Since I lived near Wisconsin Dells (one of America's foremost tourist traps), I can relate.  
  
It's definitely worth pointing out that whenever Izzy waxes nostalgic about Mari and Henry, he's talking about a pair of six-year-olds, and imagining any sort of romance between them would just be silly. Their interaction is definitely an important part of the story, but whether or not they actually hook up remains to be seen.  
  
And finally, another big kudos to Crest of Empathy and Rb for beta-reading this story. When their schedules and computers (respectively) would let them, their comments were a big boon to this story, even that time in stage five when they disagreed on whether a scene was pro-Sorato or anti-Sorato (and I thought it was neutral).  
  
This ends Level 1 of The Connection


End file.
